Trying protects our ego. Doing risks our pride. Done reshapes our life.

The warped plastic take-out container, sides puffed out, whispering, “I dare you.” Even the obligatory box of Arm & Hammer looks like it’s — seen things.

I spent years bending myself into shapes that fit other people’s expectations. At fifty, I realized the contortions weren’t worth the applause.

One slow day at the shelter. One unassuming dog. One promise in the rearview mirror.

The cardboard boxes sagged under their own weight. He opened one—an unwilling confession tumbling out as rusty bolts and forgotten washers, still bright from some long-abandoned plan.