Memory gives some unremarkable afternoons a permanence achievement never guarantees.

What lasts in memory is not chosen by importance. An afternoon with almost nothing in it can outlast the achievement you worked at for years, and no amount of effort will make the achievement stick better. Memory keeps by its own criteria, which are not the ones anyone would choose in advance. That is unfair and also a relief.

It is worth loosening your grip on which parts of your life are supposed to count. Notice what you actually remember from five years ago and how little of it was on the plan. Then let some ordinary afternoons happen without needing them to earn a place.