today would begin Carly Henley's 30th year

Perhaps nobody can really imagine 29-year-old Carly Henley, and anyone who ever cared about Carly has likely been extra hard on themselves when merely following human nature.  For it is human nature to consider the vast realm of evvvvvverything  and then imagine only the very best for somebody whose image they fondly preserve.

While it might be a relatively good thing that nothing can correct, or even be fair to those imagination-enhanced images, it remains true that only a very few here in 2019 will even let themselves imagine the tiniest flaw in their present-day image of Carly Henley.

In our minds, Carly and others whose lives ended far too young would have never lost a job, never lost a pet, and maybe never even lost a contest since their images were made to consist more of imagination than of continued human life. 

It is far too easy for the average human to limit their own potential by similarly seeing only the best possible details behind the unknowns in the imagined lives of others, while then comparing those to the stark realities of the actual human lives they themselves know.  You show up to a party and quickly notice the best hair in the room, the best shoes in the room, the best dress in the room, and even the best handbag in the room, before quickly allowing yourself to feel inadequate for somehow not measuring up to what your mind created.  Your mind somehow imagined one being  with each of those mentioned laurels, and of course one being with all of that splendor will somehow find a way to top in your mind the random-but-realistic collection of who you are and what you have.

Now Carly Henley deserves to be forgiven somewhat, for the image OF her (that would be nearing age 30) which you created in your mind.  In part because few are directly harmed anymore by her maintained lack of seeming flaws.  But how many times do you do this to yourselves in other scenarios?  Ones where you really are at a gathering, and really are looking around the room and letting yourselves feel inadequate because you weren't really fair when recognizing the unique appeal to many individuals.  Instead, you assembled a "best of" list, and probably envisioned one entity with all of those better-than traits or possessions.

If you let Carly Henley be one life-long inspiration for you, let it be that you now observe that the way that you've preserved her pristine image during these past 9 years likely parallels something personally harmful that is so easy to do to yourself.  That being to perceive near perfection  in the images you hold of others, while then comparing the real person you know as yourself, to that image of perfection, in a completely unfair way.

So many people in 2019 and 2020 will attempt to imagine Carly Henley in her 30th year but few will stop to imagine Carly taking out the garbage, working in the garden, or even volunteering to help clean desperate birds who were harmed by an oil spill.

But maybe Carly Henley's flawless image can help everyone who is considerate enough to recognize how much impact they alone have on setting unfair standards with the bar way too high before then demanding way too much of themselves based on those unfair standards.

Meanwhile, it probably won't hurt you to keep Carly Henley's image elevated where it's always been, especially if you know personal gains in the way of being reminded NOT to use those same powers of the mind to your own emotional detriment.