I sometimes think that Thomas Cook should be numbered among the secular saints. He took travel from the privileged and gave it to the people.
The days of our lives for all of us are numbered. We know that. And yes there are certainly times when we aren't able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like. It's called being human.
Most cooks try to learn by making dishes. Doesn't mean you can cook. It means you can make that dish. When you can cook is when you can go to a farmers market buy a bunch of stuff then go home and make something without looking at a recipe. Now you're cooking.