Perspective

My birthday is coming up next month, and there’s a part of me that’s dreading it. Seriously, I can’t be this old. I still feel like I’m in my 20s. When I was younger, I thought I’d have everything figured out by this age — what a myth. The only thing you can be sure of when you get older is that you will be acutely aware of how much you don’t know.

Instead of dreading the future and all the uncertainty it holds, I’ve decided to embrace it. After all, there are some benefits to growing older. For example, every year that passes means I’m closer to retirement. You may laugh at that statement because I’m still relatively young, but I plan to retire early — 50 isn’t that far away. Before I know it the day will arrive, and it’s something to anticipate, not dread.

I received an email this week from a friend who retired a few years ago. She’s having the time of her life. She spent a month in Australia earlier this year and is planning to be in South Africa for almost 2 months in the Fall. Wow, isn’t that awesome? If I plan it right, that’s what the future has in store for me.

So, I’m changing my perspective and celebrating the digits being added to my age. Growing older simply means that I’m getting closer to achieving my career goals and moving to the next stage where I have the freedom to pursue my passions. What’s so bad about that?