I’m thinking of something a name-brand director and actor said during a discussion before press and WGA members when he was promoting a certain 2005 film.

He mentioned having recently stood before an infant girl in a crib, a baby who was bright-eyed and beaming and glowing with excitement over the joy of being alive, and this guy was feeling almost heartbroken knowing what she’ll almost certainly go through when she gets into her tweens and teens, the inevitable hurt, the possible encounters with cruelty or callousness…emotional stuff that will almost inevitably leave bruises.

I had the same thought today. I suppressed it right away, telling myself “why dwell on potential negatives? Focus on the joyful and push your sad thoughts aside.” But that director’s thought was in my head for a few seconds. The infant girl he spoke of is now 17 or 18, and probably doing okay or maybe great. But who knows? Life is fraught with peril, not a bowl of cherries, etc.