Rowan- Thanks for reading and sharing some excellent points. The reason I opened the piece with the sacrifices of my father and mother is because they made those sacrifices for their children. The ones we love should always come first, I believe, and sometimes that means making sacrifices in order to make their lives better. That's part of what I wanted to convey. By the way, I love what you wrote: "...of going toward what doesn't exist rather than trying to be the best at something that already does." Lot of wisdom in that. All the best to you!