Big Sister Advice #18

Starting this year, in addition to the Q & A, I’ll offer you some general words of wisdom, or stuff to think about, as you find helpful.

On Perspective

I’m in a weird space with my perspectives on aging. I wouldn’t consider myself young any longer, but I’m definitely not old, and yet middle-aged still doesn’t feel quite right. So I’ve been thinking about aging.

I’ve been so interested in how my perspective on aging has changed as I’ve gotten older. Seventeen truly feels like childhood to me now, and I have so much compassion for the absolute baby I was in my early-to-mid-twenties as a grad student. On the other hand forty isn’t feeling as old as it used to, and my life feels much less than halfway over — which, given that three of my four grandparents lived into their nineties, is likely true.

As more of my life unfolds, the journey has shifted my perspective so much, but part of that is because I’m trying to stay open to the changes that come my way. One thing that I’ve learned throughout my life so far is to not hold too tightly to my idea of how things will be. I’ve been surprised at how much I’ve enjoyed the unexpected things that come up along the way.