One other thing I'm going to use this latest downturn to do: keep working on separating my sense of worth from my situation.

Canada was exhausting, because I was surrounded by people who wanted to know why a person with my so-called intelligence couldn't find financial stability. Everyone want to figure out what was wrong with me, that I couldn't "make it" and still flew solo.

Here, though, there's no myth of meritocracy. You work hard--we all work hard--and there still aren't any guarantees.*