I’ve always had a pretty healthy outlook on aging. Growing up, I had an amazing role model in my Mom who insisted that for her, growing older was not a bad thing. She was a no-nonsense woman, and I can still hear her saying “for the most part, I’ve been healthy. I have all my senses, I don’t get headaches, I’m quite agile, and I’ve lived a good life.”

Even after everything life threw at her, she was quietly defiant, completely unapologetic, and fiercely independent right to the end, and I loved her.

For years I was greatly influenced by my Mom’s positive outlook, and other than a few minor glitches I felt quite well-adjusted.

Turning 50? no problem … what’s the fuss about?
55? … still OK …60? … hmmm, now you’re getting my attention! I’m not sure I like the way my body is behaving. It used to let me garden from sunup to sundown (not just from 10:00 am to noon.) My knees and hips didn’t hurt when I got out of a chair.

It used to let me eat whatever I wanted without causing some kind of discomfort, and when I looked in the mirror, I didn’t used to cringe a bit. Mom didn’t talk about this.

As a blogger, I’m often reluctant to reveal my age. I don’t know why. If people like what I post, age shouldn’t matter. Just don’t expect any goofy selfies here … oh wait … maybe one!

I’ve come to learn that life is about letting go. As a mom I’ve had to let my children go as they started kindergarten, went through school, university, and eventually made their own lives and built their own families. I’ve had to let go of my position as the centre of their universe.

Now I’m having to let go of my youth and all the beauty, power, and dreams that that magical era brought with it (avoiding a mirror helps.)

I often feel as if I’m drifting down a river, knowing I’ll never see the same scenery again. But that’s what makes life more beautiful and precious than I could ever have imagined when I was in my 20’s, 30’s, or even 40’s.

And something in me has shifted. I’m able to sift and sort through life’s curveballs, figuring out what I have control over and letting the rest go.

It comes from years of experience and a “been there done that” sort of attitude. I don’t mean to sound uncaring, I’m not. But instead of trying to control every situation (like I used to) I watch and wait and let it unfold. I’ll say what I think (or not) and let whatever is happening take its course, remembering I’m not responsible for every single thing that swirls around me on a daily basis. However, if it’s something that hurts me and is about me, I’m not going to sit there and say it’s OK. Nope. You’re going to get a blast.

It truly is rather freeing.

“It’s this freedom that’s the key to becoming visible again.
Not caring what others think is freeing.
Expressing yourself any way you want is freeing.
Having opinions, emotional wisdom, spiritual understanding…these things free you.
And in freedom, we find power.”
Jane Tara, The Happy Endings Book Club

GIVEAWAY!

This post is part of the Grace Notes blog hop. Grace Notes is the new blog companion to the stunning and inspirational Bella Grace magazine. Much like the magazine, Grace Notes is devoted to discovering life’s ordinary magic.

I adore this magazine and am thrilled to be able to host a complimentary give-away of Bella Grace magazine Issue 7!

Simply leave a comment saying you’d like to win this copy, and perhaps share a personal story of how you deal with change.

Here on my blog the competition is open world-wide—yay!

Contest closed Thursday, March 31st.