Walking through a very distinct market that somehow feels foreign to me, I spot someone who looks as though they might be familiar to me, but I can’t tell if it’s someone I know, someone I once knew, or simply déjà vu. There is a man in a three-piece suit, trying to sell me fresh fruit, and who am I to say no? I love sweetness in almost all of its forms. Nearby, there is a woman in the most elegant tunic, who makes me feel more unique than I have since I was in art school and felt like truly anything was possible. But then it just so happened that I graduated in 2008, and the wealthiest of the world decided they had other plans for me (and for most of the rest of society, as well).

I learned at an early age that so many interactions in this life are transactional, but I also decided right around the same time that they don’t have to be. There are exceptions to everything, though; sadly, there are exemptions to plenty, too. Collaboration and cooperation are the keys to survival. Forget…