That was a number I was terrified of as a teenager. Every adult that got close to that age would groan and complain about being old and I did not want to deal with that. Now, I’m staring down turning 36 and it really isn’t so bad.
It is true that as you get older, you start to feel aches and pains that weren’t there before, and at times, yeah, you may feel like you’re going to break. You won’t and I would rather have those aches and pains because it means just how much I have lived life. It’s been one crazy trip, too, let me tell you. But it’s been fun.
I’ve learned a lot in 35 years, too.
You can’t take everything so seriously. Things will happen the way they’re going to happen, it just works like that, and taking everything to heart or seriously is going to stress you out and wear you down. You’re already going to be tired from living day-to-day life, you don’t need to add any of that to your plate.
People will either like you, or they won’t and that isn’t your problem. By 35, you experience so much that has made you who you are that you can’t go back and change. It is what it is and you are who you are, other people just have to deal with it or they’re not people meant to be in your life. That’s okay, too. I mean, people can say what they want about me… I am who I am and if you don’t like that, you have the choice to stay away from me. It really is that simple.
What you like, doesn’t always matter. Sure, first impressions are a big deal in certain situations, however, not in every situation. You will have so much on your “to-do” list daily by 35 that you kind of just go. Groceries don’t care if you did your makeup or your hair. Neither do your kids’ schools when you drop them off for the day. And truthfully, you kind of would rather take the time that would be spent “getting ready” to sleep… or locked in a room somewhere away from the world for a little bit.
You will always be busy. Like really busy. There is always going to be something that needs or has to be done. You will start to feel like you are not given enough hours in a day to do all the things. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and make a break for yourself to recharge… trust me, you’re going to need it and you’re going to forget to worry about yourself sometimes.
Plans change. Plans can change quickly. Sometimes it’s the life plans you made that change. We all get asked questions growing up about where we see ourselves in 5 years, 10 years, or some given age and we make plans. They’re going to change in some way. I never expected to be back in college at 35. I also didn’t see myself as a single woman either by now. I also had planned to be teaching elementary school not working towards victim advocacy. Things change and we don’t always have control over them, either.
History does in fact repeat itself, culturally. I see people wear clothes today that I wore in high school and swore I’d never wear again. It’s frightening at times. Fashion-wise, I have seen bits and pieces of my entire wardrobe all over again. From the ’90s to the 2000s. It happens to every generation. My parents complained about it too.
Someone is always going to have something to say about something. It’s up to you how you react to it. That is the only thing you can do about it.
You’re going to change your mind, a lot. They were not kidding when they said I’d change my major, change careers or jobs, or change my mind on just about anything possible throughout my entire life. The biggest example I have of that, I am in college working toward the third career of my life. And that is okay. We have the right to look for new opportunities and try new things in life. We are in charge of ourselves.
There’s so much more that I could write about when it comes to the things I’ve experienced or learned that this article would be a book. The overall takeaway that I can give you is…life is not easy and is unexpected, but it is your life to live.