There is a moment, if you have ever stood in front of a camera, somebody else looking back at you for a period of time, where you might see yourself differently or feel differently than you normally would. This is not a selfie moment. Not the version in the mirror you have made peace with and love every morning. The version the lens catches. The one with the fine lines and the grey hair you did not notice until the light hit just right.
That happened to me during a photoshoot, and instead of brushing it off, I let myself sit with it. Because that is where the real conversation about aging lives. I've been here before, yet something irked me this time, and I wanted to share it with you. Because also, my work is in letting you (and me) know that we are beautiful at every age, and every day. How do we get there? To experience love for ourselves during every moment? Read on.
We spend so much of our lives in a hurry to grow up, and then one day we are here, wondering where the time went. Aging is not the problem. Forgetting the child within and losing ourselves along the way is.
Here is what I know: the kid you were is still in there. That curious, playful, wide-open version of you did not disappear. Life just got bigger, and more demanding. Work got serious. And somewhere between adulting and achieving, we forgot to play.
The invitation is simple. Come back to the childlike essence who wanted to play beyond the 5p dusk curfew. Who wanted to talk to their friends on the phone all night long. Who loved to play board games with friends or family. Who loved to ride their bike with their sibling(s). What were the best parts that you can remember feeling from that time? The lightness and the joy, just by you being you? Remember the version of you that did not need to earn the right to enjoy being alive.
Age is something we either grapple with misery, or celebrate it with wisdom and gratitude. Because not everyone made it to how young or old you are now. You're still here. Heart-beating, life affirming, and still surviving. If you had a hard childhood, or a difficult adulthood there's even more brilliance for you to accept these daily gifts of life! Loved ones pass on and you're still here. You still get to make each day count.
I'm going to give you a gift. Look at your birthday. The month and the day. Now watch for that time on the clock, morning or night. When the clock reads your birthday, let that be your daily moment of acknowledgment. No party required, but have a small dance party, whether in your living room, car, or in your mind wherever you are! Let yourself be more than just a human walking through existence, and celebrate yourself daily. You made it further than many, and isn't that a gift?
Age is just a number. But you? You are so much more than that.
Listen to this episode of The Wisdom Channel®: Bring Love to the Playground® on YouTube @LisaEve or wherever you listen to podcasts.
'Til next time, walk your path with self-love, and remember, you have the power to heal.
Lisa Eve