I remember a time when I couldn’t really imagine having children, being married or owning a house. The whole point of life, for the longest time, as I could best articulate it to myself, was about learning interesting things and traveling. I still don’t have children or own a house but everyone else seems to have these things or be in the process of attaining them. From Spain, I watch them, feeling left out.

When I went back home, briefly, for little more than a weekend bookended by two brutal transatlantic flights, I tried to cram it all in so that I could indulge in the illusion of being present for the important moments in the lives of my friends and family.

Ignoring jet lag I managed to celebrate Chinese New Years, attend an engagement dinner, have a lazy lunch with my mom, go for a winter hike, visit a pregnant friend and celebrate two milestone birthdays.