You look at your calendar—red ink, blue ink, black ink; a crystal ball of your future in 30-minute increments, scheduled six months in advance. Your activities accumulate like puppies in a pile—there is always room for one more.

Yet there is tightness in your throat as you contemplate your life. Why do I feel stressed? I do meditation, yoga, spend time with family and friends, my job is going well; and yet I simply feel tense. Images of how to escape your custom tailored life begin to float through your mind.

Skip ahead a few months… the smell of suntan lotion and salt in the air: vacation beckons. Two weeks, no schedule! And yet you notice that familiar tightness in your throat, even as you relax in the sunshine. You have discovered the ultimate escape from everything but yourself: Wherever you go, there you are.

You return to your daily life, like unhinged emoji dancing on a pile of shit. Yet you meditate and feel your sadness; you flow through your vinyasas and feel the numbness in your body. You face the same pile of tasks at work, yet something has died in you and you feel relief. You feel awry and moody yet curiously at ease. Your custom tailored life continues, but now with someone present to live it.