Dear Diary,
Today someone glanced at me with a solemn look and said, Youre not that age any more.
At first I didnt quite catch what they meant. Excuse me, what does that even mean? I asked, hoping theyd explain.
They answered as if it were obvious: You know its no longer the time for flamboyant dresses, raucous laughter, dancing, singing and carefree joy like before. Now youre supposed to be more modest, calmer, grownup.
I kept quiet. Not out of offense, but because I was amazed at how easily people draw lines where none exist. Then I smiled, looked deep inside myself and calmly replied, Ive never read a rulebook that tells a woman when she must stop being herself.
Who decides that a woman is no longer allowed to laugh until tears roll down her cheeks? Who decides the age at which a bright red lipstick becomes inappropriate or when you must stop belting out your favourite songs at full volume? We dont cease to be ourselves just because the calendar adds another year.
Yes, I have many seasons behind meyears filled with pain, learning and great happiness. Ive watched highs and lows, losses and fresh starts. Now Im differentnot older, but calmer, deeper, wiser. Ive learned to cherish silence, to listen to my heart and understand that true youth isnt stamped in a passport but lives in the eyes, in the ability to delight in small things and to stay amazed by the world.
I no longer need to prove my worth to anyone. Im not chasing a younger look; I simply want to liveauthentically. I laugh when something amuses me, I dance when a favourite tune plays, I wear what feels right to me rather than what should suit my age. Most importantly, I allow myself to feel alive.
Because life isnt a stage where you play the role of appropriate age. Its a journey where each day is a gift. It saddens me when people abandon joy just because someone declares, Thats not suitable for you now.
It is suitable for me. It is suitable for me to laugh when my soul sings. It is suitable for me to wear bright dresses even though Im not twenty. It is suitable for me to be exactly who I am now, without excuses or fear.
There is no such thing as the wrong age. There is only a momentwarm, genuine, alive. If you feel light inside, if your heart still wants to laugh and love, then you are alive.
Now is my time to livetruly, without limits, without shame, without must and mustnt. No one has the right to decide when a woman stops being herself.
I simply exist. And each morning I tell myself, Yes, this is my age. The best one yet.
