I am seeing these posts on Facebook with the “how hard did aging hit you Challenge” and it has taken me a few days before I can put my mind (and heart) as to why it bothered me.
It’s great to engage in a fun post that gets a lot of people trying it as well. I can’t count how many of my friends who have done the challenge and it’s interesting to see the photos shared and the conversations that happened after.
But here’s my big BUT to this challenge.
What I dislike is the notion that aging is “hitting us hard”. For someone who have gone through breast cancer at the age of 37 and with a mom who passed away from metastatic breast cancer at the age of 49, I fully embrace each year that I am alive!
I embrace the wrinkles, folds, creases, graying of hair. I fully and heartfully am grateful for the chance to be here, to be present, to be another year older.
As I celebrated my 42nd birthday a couple of days ago with family and friends, I am in awe with how much I have aged — the strength, wisdom, resilience and growth that I have gone through. I am deeply joyous of the relationships I have and the people I connect with on a regular basis. To top it off, I am proud to be able to do the work that inspires me, creates impact and contributes to the lives of others.
This is what the expression of my aging is all about.
It is all about how life is lived fully.
It is all about the connections we form, nurture and sustain.
It is all about the mission that we live for and the impact it brings to others.
It is all about the full expression of our presence in the different life areas.
It is about how we use our time, energy and focus on the people and activities that matter.
Perhaps the better question to ask is this: how has aging contributed to our self-fullness?
P.S. Cheers to me at age 42!