I’m of an age now where….
I need glasses on my face but I have so much more clarity in my heart.
I no longer get asked for ID but I do get asked for advice.
I know what I want and I’m ok if it’s different to what people think I should want.
I’m comfortable in my own skin, despite it looking different now than it used to.
I’m of an age where I’m done with the shoulds and comparing to others, my life is now about how it feels not how it looks.
Where I can be who I want despite living in a society that tells me I should be different.
That I’m grateful for everything I have because I’ve known what it’s like not to have it.
That I can see ageing as a privilege because I’ve seen so many others not afforded that privilege.
I’m of an age where I watch the birds in the garden as if they were an absorbing Netflix show.
Where I’m happy having less despite living in a world that tells me I should always be wanting more.
Where I guard my energy more closely now it’s a finite resource.
That I worry less about the hairs on my legs because I’ve got them growing out of my chin.
I’m of an age where the prospect of being in bed by 10pm is more exciting than any party.
Where my hair sprouts new strands of grey each day, I call them my wisdom flecks.
Where the laughter lines on my face remind me of a life well lived.
That my contentment and happiness comes from my inner world, not the things I have or achieve.
I’m of an age where I know more than I’ve ever done before and also know that I don’t know everything and never will and this allows me to be comfortable making mistakes.
To understand that whilst I’m capable of brilliance I won’t always be brilliant so to expect peaks and troughs.
To know that we can all be both a masterpiece and a work in progress at the same time.
I’m of an age where each year older I become the more I feel I have to give, despite living in a society that tells me, as a woman, I’m reaching my best before date.
That I continue to want to grow and develop and see this as the beginning of the rest of my life not the transition into midlife.
Where I’m more comfortable in my own company and view moments of solitude as a luxury.
I’m of an age where I understand my cycles and natural rhythms and choose to move with them not fight against them.
That I become more aware and grateful for my fitness and health as my body changes.
That I eat the things I enjoy because health is measured in more than kilos.
That I know compassion must also extend to ourselves.
I’m of an age where I don’t wear make up despite being told by the media, as a woman, I must cover every imperfection before presenting my face to the world.
That I never feel lonely when I’m alone because I’ve learned to love the person I am.
That when I eat vegetables I’ve grown in my garden and feel the greatest sense of accomplishment.
I’m of an age where I can be wrong and people won’t love me less, or that I can be wrong and it’s not proof I’m not good enough; it’s proof I’m human.
Where I understand that there’s more kindness in the world than we realise, it just doesn’t make the news.
That I’m aware of the impermanence of life and how everything comes and goes, to accept the ability to love alongside the ability to let go.
I’m of an age where the scars I bear are trophies of the tough times I’ve overcome and the lessons I’ve learned.
That I understand that quiet says so much and silence can have the loudest impact.
That I can finally be who I am and know that’s enough despite being in a world where I’m constantly told I need to be more or better or to conform to the norm.
I’m of an age where my life is only just half begun, it’s not half done.