Earlier this month, I had the rare
privilege to go shopping with one of my most favorite friends. I met Michelle while I was moon lighting as
an ER nurse and decided that she HAD to be my friend instantly. We don’t get to spend too much time together
but when we do I am grateful. While we
were trying on clothes and catching up, we had a conversation that really made
me think. We both remarked that one of
the gifts of getting older is that we find ourselves really not caring too much
what other people think of us. For a few
moments our apathy made us feel brave and untouchable, and then we moved on and
discussed an equally important topic, “How many sequins are too many?”
Driving home, our conversation about
not caring came back to me. I decided
that we were speaking in half truths. I think the impulse of not caring stems from
something much more sacred, that we did not realize or admit to each other that
day. I believe that the truth is that we
do care but the person that we care about is ourselves. We have worked hard and fought too many
battles to become who we are to hand ourselves over to another person’s
comments. We also understand that most
of the hurtful or unkind things that are said rarely have anything to do with
the receiver. That each of us on this earth only have our own telescope from
which to view our lives and the people in it, and that sometimes those
telescopes do not come equipped with kindness or understanding and that is not
our fault.
I can only speak for myself, but
there are many people who are my wise advisers who I would listen to if they
took the time to have a heartfelt conversation with me. These are the people that I have chosen and
who have chosen me to be a sounding board when times or situations are tough. It
is to them that I look when I need direction and for them I am grateful.
36 happened for me last week and I
am already in love with it. I am
settling in to the confidence that age brings, and welcoming the gray hairs too. I am more comfortable in the skin that is
marching to forty (and beyond) than I ever was when I was 21 or even 25. Life gets better and sweeter when you have
seen what I have seen and loved who I have loved.