At first glance, it’s a lovely, serene portrait of three elegant, older women sitting on a chic sofa, sipping tea, and peering at a smartphone. They look sophisticated, poised, and utterly put-together. With their tailored blazers, perfectly styled hair, and minimalist surroundings, they look like the absolute definition of “grown-ups”—the kind of people who have achieved the ultimate level of maturity and life mastery.
But if you’ve been on this planet for more than twenty years, you know a universal truth about a moment like this. They aren’t huddled together discussing mutual funds, estate planning, or the shifting complexities of the global economy.
They are almost certainly trying to figure out how to un-mute a video, wondering why a text message is stuck on “sending,” or laughing hysterically at a ridiculous meme.
And that is the ultimate secret of adulting: No one, at any age, feels like they have it entirely figured out.