When they have an answer and you don't

“You and your partner are at a dinner party and the conversation turns to what everyone's been working on lately. Your partner talks about a course they've been taking, a book they're halfway through, something they've been thinking about differently. People are interested, asking follow-up questions. You listen from across the table and feel proud of them — and then, in the same breath, realize you don't have a version of that answer for yourself right now.”