Why do I believe this is true? Because I have lived it. I have already BEEN old and now I am ready to just be who I am without a number. My brain is still 30 years old. My body has been through multiple surgeries and FELT as if it was 80.
My birth age is 63. What does that even mean other than what society has determined it to mean? Can I just be who I am and live my best life while accepting my limitations without self-judgment?
These are tricky waters to navigate. One of my values is “authenticity”. That means being real and telling it like it is without self-delusion or self-deception. I am willing to look myself straight on and see it all. I have spent enough of my younger years in self-loathing. Not a fun place to be.
I remember watching Oprah years ago doing a show where she interviewed beautiful, aging actresses. She asked them how they were able to accept becoming older and losing the main thing that gave them fame and fortune in their lives. It was a mix of answers. Many of them remembered when they turned heads everywhere they went. Now their daughters turned heads.
Oprah was intent on digging into how they felt now. What was it like to be the center of attention because of how you look and then feel like just another older person? They had to come to terms with their humanity, their weaknesses and frailties. It was humbling and inspiring to see them shift from their outer beauty to their inner beauty. Many were still very beautiful (many with the help of surgery).
Now more than ever, we must dig into our own hearts and souls and mine the gold that has been developing over our lives. This can be the richest, juiciest and most beautiful time of our lives if we do the work to uncover it.
Do you have a passion you let go years ago? Were you a dancer? A painter? A photographer? An artist? Or maybe you found satisfaction growing beautiful flowers and vegetables? Interior design? Baking artisan bread? Training dogs?
It’s time to brush off your inner passions and bring them to the surface. Clear away the cobwebs in your attic and create a beautiful space to read or create a work of art.
I want to be your guide and cheerleader in this process. I have gone before you and have forged a path. Your process will be different than anyone else’s.