One day, a sternlooking aunt in a posh London flat leaned over my tea and said, Youre not that age any more now.
I blinked, not quite catching the drift. Sorry, what does that mean? I asked, a little puzzled.
She answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world: You know its no longer proper to wear bright dresses, burst out laughing, dance, sing at the top of your voice, and be merry like you used to. Now youre supposed to be modest, calm, grownup.
I kept my mouth shutnot out of offense, but because I was amazed at how easily people draw lines where none exist. Then I smiled, dug a little deeper inside, and said, You know, Ive never read a rulebook that tells a woman exactly when she must stop being herself.
Who, really, decides when a lady is no longer allowed to laugh until she cries? Who sets the age at which red lipstick becomes inappropriate or belting out a favourite song turns into a scandal? We dont cease to be ourselves just because the calendar adds another year.
Yes, Ive got a few decades behind meyears filled with pain, learning, and immense joy. Ive watched fortunes rise and fall, seen loss and fresh starts. And now Im differentnot older, just calmer, deeper, wiser. Ive learned to cherish quiet, listen to my own heart, and understand that true youth lives not in a passport stamp but in the sparkle of the eyes, the delight in tiny things, and the wonder at the world.
I no longer need to prove my worth to anyone. Im not trying to look younger; I simply want to liveproperly. I laugh when something amuses me. I dance when a favourite tune comes on. I wear what feels right, not what a handbook says belongs to my age. Most of all, I allow myself to feel alive.
Because life isnt a stage where you play the part of the appropriate age. Its a journey, each day a gift. Its a shame when people give up joy just because someone mutters, Thats not for you now.
It is for me. It is for me to laugh when my soul sings. It is for me to don bright dresses even if Im not twentytwo. It is for me to be exactly who I am right now, without excuses or fear.
Theres no such thing as the wrong age. Theres only a momentwarm, genuine, alive. If you feel a light inside, if your heart still wants to laugh and love, then youre alive.
And now its my time to live. Truly, without limits, without shame, without should and must. No one has the right to decide when a woman stops being herself.
So I simply go on. Every morning I tell myself, Yes, this is my age. The best one yet.
