As I’ve Aged
When we’re children, we want to be adults. I don’t know how many times I uttered the phrase, “I can’t wait to grow up.” Then, at least for me, there was a time span of about 15 to 20 years, where I longed to go back in time. After my mom passed away, I was so afraid of getting older. Now, however, I am looking forward to what is ahead, and I am embracing the idea of aging.
The concept of aging is much easier to accept now, primarily because I have experienced so much growth. I really had no idea what I was doing in my 20’s. I thought I had grown so much emotionally in my 30’s even though I still dealt with a lot of anxiety and depression. My insecurities were also pretty abundant.
My 40’s, though, has been a whole different story. Now, my early 40’s were pretty painful, but I really started to deal with my emotions and insecurities on a much deeper level. At the age of 46, I turned a corner, and my life has changed. The incredible thing is that the amount of time it takes me to experience new growth in areas of my life is much shorter. So whereas before it may have taken me 5 yrs. to implement change from a lesson in growth, now it may take a couple of days or maybe even a month. I think once you get over a certain hurdle, the mind reacts differently. It’s easier to process change when you’re in a healthy mindset and not afraid of being uncomfortable with change.