A Deeply Unhappy Young Engineer

A girl I’ve never met before came to my retreat. Though only 22 years old, she was already an engineer—a deeply unhappy one.

After a few interviews with her, I found out why she was so happy: She had not been allowed to play. Her job as a kid was only to study and study and study.

“Go and play,” I said to her.

“I don’t know how to play anymore!” she replied angrily.

“Play with children. Observe and learn from them.”

She looked at me while seemingly thinking. After a while, she said, “Okay.”

That evening, I saw her squatting by the roadside, picking little flowers. She seemed pretty happy.

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