Someone looks at me seriously and says, Youre not that age any more.
At first I dont quite grasp what they mean.
Sorry, what does that even mean? I ask.
They answer as if it were obvious:
Dont you see this isnt the time for bright dresses, loud laughter, dancing, singing and carefree joy like it used to be. Now you should be more modest, calmer, grownup.
I stay silent, not because Im offended but because Im amazed at how easily people draw lines where none exist. Then I smile, look deep inside myself and say calmly, Ive never read a rulebook that tells a woman when she must stop being herself.
After all, who decides when a woman is no longer allowed to laugh until she cries? Who decides at what age she cant wear red lipstick or belt out her favourite songs at full volume? We dont stop being ourselves just because the calendar adds another year.
Yes, I have a lot behind meyears filled with pain, learning and great happiness. I have watched successes and setbacks, losses and fresh starts. Now I am differentnot older, but calmer, deeper, wiser. I have learned to value silence, to listen to my heart and understand that true youth lives not in a passport but in the eyes, in the ability to delight in small things and to stay amazed by the world.
I no longer feel the need to prove my worth to anyone. I dont chase a youthful look; I simply want to liveauthentically. I laugh when something amuses me. I dance when my favourite tune plays. I wear what feels right to me, not what society says belongs to a certain age. Most importantly, I allow myself to feel alive.
Life isnt a stage where you play the part of the right age. Its a journey, each day a gift. Its a shame when people give up joy simply because someone once said, Thats no longer appropriate for you.
It is appropriate for me.
It is appropriate for me to laugh when my spirit sings.
It is appropriate for me to wear bright dresses even though Im not twenty.
It is appropriate for me to be exactly who I am right now, without excuses or fear.
There is no such thing as the wrong age. There is only a momentwarm, real, alive. If you feel light inside, if your heart still wants to laugh and love, then you are alive.
And now is my time to live. Truly, without limits, without shame, without the should and must. No one has the right to decide when a woman stops being herself.
I simply exist. Each day I tell myself, Yes, this is my age. The best one yet.
