Someone leaned in, his brows knit, and said with a seriousness that cut through the chatter of the pub:
Youre not that age any more now.
I blinked, caught offguard, and asked, Excuse me, what do you mean?
He answered as if the answer were as obvious as the rain on a London street:
You know its not the time for bright dresses, loud laughter, dancing, singing, and joy like before. Now youre supposed to be modest, calm, grownup.
I held my tongue, not out of offense but because I was stunned at how easily people draw lines where none exist. Then I smiled, looked deep inside, and said with steady calm:
Ive never read a single rulebook that tells a woman when she must stop being herself.
Who decides that a woman at a certain age shouldnt burst into tears of laughter? Who declares that after a birthday she cant swipe on a red lipstick or belt out her favorite song at full volume? We dont cease to be ourselves just because the calendar adds another number.
Behind my shoulders lie many yearsyears bruised with pain, seasoned with experience, bright with happiness. Ive watched triumphs and collapses, losses and fresh beginnings. And now I am differentnot older, but calmer, deeper, wiser. Ive learned to cherish quiet, to listen to my heart, and to understand that true youth lives not in a passport stamp but in the eyes, in the ability to delight at 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 just want to livegenuinely. I laugh when joy strikes. I dance when a favourite tune plays. I wear what feels right to me, not what society says belongs to my age. Most of all, I allow myself to be alive.
Because life isnt a stage where you perform the role of the appropriate age. Its a journey where every day is a gift. And its a shame when people abandon joy just because someone mutters, Thats no longer fitting for you.
It fits me.
It fits me to laugh when my soul sings.
It fits me to wear bright dresses even though Im not twenty.
It fits me to be exactly who I am now, without excuses, without fear.
There is no such thing as the wrong age. There is only a momentwarm, real, alive. If you feel a light inside, if your heart still wants to laugh and love, then you are alive.
Now is 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.
I simply live.
And each morning I tell myself:
Yes, this is my age. The best one yet.
