Aging is a Privilege, so Embrace It.

Yesterday I turned 47 years old. 47?!?! My goodness, where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday I was graduating from high school, headed off to start my college years. Now I have a 17-year-old son preparing to do the same. I remember turning 30 and panicking that I was getting old. I was stressed about it. I walked into Origins and spent an obscene amount of money on anti aging products. I thought if I am this panicked over 30, what the hell will I be like at 40? I am happy to report, I survived, and, the older I get, the more I embrace it. I mean, let’s face it, it is better than the alternative.

Since turning 40, my life has become my own. I no longer do things just to please people. I do what I feel is best for my family and me. I don’t let other people’s opinions of me bother me. As Rachel Hollis says, other people’s opinions of you are none of your business. The last 7 seven years has had its highs and lows, each of which has caused to me grow into the woman I am today.

The most significant of these, the death of my Mom 5 years ago. Mom passed much too soon, at the age of 61. Though I would do anything to have her back, there has been some good that has come from her death. My sisters, Dad and I are closer than ever. It drove home the point that life is much too short and we must live it. Don’t let life pass you by, but seize opportunities and run with them.

Speaking of opportunities, I have done just that. I have taken chances professionally and personally, all having paid off. I can’t say I would have done any of these in my younger years. I cared too much of how it would be perceived or that I would fail. Well, as I said above, I no longer let what other people think affect me, and failure, well that is all part of growth.

In the last seven years, I have fallen in love with fitness. I became a marathoner! This is something I NEVER dreamed I would or ever want to do. I have a healthier relationship with my body. I have expanded my social circle, coming out of my shell, and connecting with others with similar interests and goals in life. I guess you can say; I found my tribe. I have raised babies into beautiful, kind teenagers. My husband, I reached 20 years of marriage. Twenty years is a long time! We have traveled to various places around the world as a family and continue to add to this travel list as the years go on.

What is most exciting to me on my birthday, the future ahead. There is still so much to do in this life, and I plan to make the most of it.