介绍： Are You a Late Bloomer in Work or Love? Maybe You're Right on Time.

So many of us have a secret, internal timeline we're always measuring ourselves against: the ideal age we'd like to get that degree, get married, reach a certain title at work. Our fantasy chronology hasn't evolved much over the years. A 201...

介绍： Are You a Late Bloomer in Work or Love? Maybe You're Right on Time.

So many of us have a secret, internal timeline we're always measuring ourselves against: the ideal age we'd like to get that degree, get married, reach a certain title at work. Our fantasy chronology hasn't evolved much over the years. A 2018 Stanford University study of people ages 25 to 94 found that all generations agreed around 26 is the right age to get married, 27 the time to buy a house and 28 the moment to start a family.

What if it's not? Instead of feeling pressure to hit life events on someone else's timeline, maybe it's fine to make our own.

Danielle Ponder had a career as a lawyer before dedicating herself to singing full time. Working as a public defender in Rochester, N.Y., Danielle Ponder would frequently Google, "Did anyone make it after the age of 35?"

At one point, she quit her day job, only to return a year and a half later, thwarted by the pandemic and disappointing bookings. On the last day of 2021, five days before her 40th birthday, she tried again. This time, quitting her job led to a debut solo album, television appearances and sold-out shows.

"I don't know if I could survive this happening to me at 19," she says. She thinks her insecure teen self wouldn't have handled the stress of the public eye well. 

late bloomer
n. 开花比较晚的植物；（本文）大器晚成的人（a person who fulfills their potential later than expected）
拓展:
Ang Lee described himself as a late bloomer whose career only started to come off when he was 36.
李安称自己是个大器晚成的人，直到 36 岁事业才有了点儿起色。
early bloomer 少年得志/年少成名的人

timeline
英 [ˈtaɪmlaɪn] 美 [ˈtaɪmlaɪn]
n. 时间表，进度表
拓展:
outline a project timeline 拟一个项目进度表

chronology
英 [krəˈnɒlədʒi] 美 [krəˈnɑːlədʒi]
n. 年表，大事记
拓展:
a chronology of one's life 某人的生平大事记

start a family
生小孩（have children）
拓展:
They're getting married next year, and hope to start a family straight away.
他们打算明年结婚，希望婚后马上要孩子。

hit life events
达成人生大事
拓展:
hit v. 达到（某个地方、水平）

public defender
公设辩护人，公设辩护律师
拓展:
公设辩护人（public defender）和私人律师（private attorney）不同，前者是由法院指定的律师，为那些请不起私人律师的被告辩护。

thwart
英 [θwɔːt] 美 [θwɔːrt]
v. 阻挠，对……构成阻力（frustrate）
拓展:
thwart somebody's plans 阻挠某人的计划
thwarted ambition 未酬的壮志
thwarted by something 受到某事的阻碍/影响

sold-out
英 [səʊld aut] 美 [sold aʊt]
adj. 门票售罄的，销售一空的
拓展:
sell out 卖光
a sold-out standup comedy gig 门票售罄的脱口秀演出
a sold-out concert 门票一抢而空的演唱会

public eye
公众的目光和审视
拓展:
be in the public eye 处在公众视野中，备受关注
She loved acting and was brilliant at it, but she didn't like being in the public eye.
她热爱表演并且演技非凡，但她不喜欢抛头露面被众人关注。