I am in charge of my life and the only one who can dictate my path.

A river ferry crosses by pointing upstream. The current is not negotiable, the crossing is, and the entire skill sits in the angle.

Being in charge has never meant choosing the conditions. Redundancy, illness, other people's decisions — none of that arrives by invitation, and no amount of steering prevents weather.

What stays yours is the trim. What you do next, what you refuse, who you ask, what you make of it afterwards. That is a smaller territory than it first sounds and a far more reliable one, because nobody can take a turn at the tiller without your knowing.