This is a great piece. Reading it, I recall when I still cared about such stuff. Status. Being accepted into the elite. It makes me feel kind of queasy to remember this now. Queasy and grateful! Oh, I'm finally at peace - garden, poetry, lots of silence, contemplative time, tribe on Medium, good friends.

Re the highlighted line, it reminds me of what I used to spend on status purses. Purses gathering dust in my closet, especially during Covid.