Getting older doesn’t totally suck!!!

In my 20’s I dreaded turning 30. I don’t know why , just seemed to feel as though that would be the point where youth ended . That at 30 I’d be stepping onto a conveyor belt that was just all systems go to old age. I didn’t much fancy that. I was too busy whinging about how I’d wasted my best years with shitty men.

Turns out I was wrong.

Right now, at this moment , at 40 I am more content than I’ve ever been .

A few things seem to have come together to make this the case . Is it egotistical for me to talk about them? Maybe it is , shut this down if it is , accept my apologies and there’s no hard feelings.

You still with me??? Fab?

First reason getting older is good is that parenting has changed. Having 4 children was never going to be a walk in the park. Now the elder 3 are teens though , that physical exhaustion that comes with early parenthood is gone. These kids sleep and aren’t constantly demanding your attention , time , soul… Parenting teens is a different type of hard it’s mentally and emotionally tricky . You have to learn a whole other language , the non verbal kind . You don’t worry less but that bit of ‘me time’ you get and the occasional lie in means you can worry with more energy in the bank and that’s handy!! Once the kids get to teenage age though you’ve grown into your parenting style and the self doubt that comes with early parenthood isn’t so severe.Things feel a little more relaxed these days.

Secondly , for me , is realising that I’ve changed as a person in the past few years and embracing that! I’ve gone on enough on my blog about feeling healed after toxic relationships but that is such a major thing for me. Not all the changes I recognise in myself are so major though. A couple of years ago I wrote this about my hug hatred. I assumed hating physical affection was just a personality trait I was stuck with. As it turned out the more healed I got , the better I felt about myself , the more I relaxed and allowed people in rather than keep my icy little wall built around myself complete with KEEP OUT sign!!

As it happens I’m not cold hearted and I do like affection and even a hug or two! Might have taken me till 37 to learn this about myself but better late than never I guess!

This links into my 3rd reason getting older is great . I’m much better socially these days. It took so many years to truly believe that people don’t always think I’m an idiot and stupid and pointless. Took even longer for me to stop caring about the people who do think that. Once I did get to that point though it meant I became more relaxed in social situations.

I like people,I like talking to them I enjoy socialising. I had an epiphany in Edinburgh over the summer along these lines. My life and my mental well-being are enriched by having good people in my life!
I’ll always be the woman who loves her own company and will happily do dinner , theatre ,cinema alone. I also though am happy doing these things in other people’s company in a way I wasn’t when I was younger. I was too busy in my ice queen ice castle .
Also though quite crucially I’ve almost mastered the art of not spending time with anyone who makes me feel negative . Now that skill took WAY too long to learn , but hey Rome was not built in a day.

Finally something that really pleases me the more I get older is having that bit more confidence in giving my opinions, in stating my view, in being braver in vocalising issues that are important to me. You poor unfortunates who read my blog know that. Feminism, the quest for equality,Domestic abuse, emotional abuse, politics… I’m willing to nail my flag to the mast about my take on these things. Younger me would have been way too afraid of upsetting people.

All in all 40 year old me is a more confident,more relaxed woman that 27 year old me could have been. I am at my best when relaxed and not giving in to old neurosis like the hug thing. Finally I am happy with who I am , my take on the world , what I will stand for . I choose to surround myself with people who who make me feel empowered and positive and I hopefully do that in return .

2020 and its nonsense has taken the shine off my great turning 40 year, so bring on 41!!

Reflections from Me

#ablogginggoodtime

#ablogginggoodtime

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