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​ The Energy of You Volume XX Issue #18
​ Hi Reader, I celebrated my 60th birthday a little over a year and a half ago. In the months leading up to it, something shifted—not all at once, but gradually. I kept thinking: This is the beginning of the end. Things are supposed to slow down now. And without realizing it, I started shrinking. A couple of new opportunities came up in my business, but I let them quietly wither. I stopped taking new art classes. I turned down social invitations. Nothing dramatic—just a slow pulling back. Fast forward to a quick weekend getaway for some mid-year business planning. I was sipping coffee and reviewing the past six months when I noticed something that hit me hard: My calendar was wide open. No classes. I asked myself: Why? So I journaled. And walked on the beach. Thinking and feeling. For hours. This is what I uncovered: I had unconsciously bought into a version of aging that told me to slow down. To expect less. To contract. To be invisible. That dreaming was for the young. ​ We grow up in a culture that glorifies youth. The messages are subtle and constant. Eventually, they start shaping our choices, not with a loud command, but with a whisper that sounds like our own voice: Maybe this is too much. ​ That’s the sneaky part of age bias. It gets internalized. And then it shows up in a thousand small ways. ​ ​ But here’s what I know: I get to write my own story. At some point, the clock stops ticking for all of us; we don’t know when. When we start getting closer to the end than the beginning, it hits differently. Being present and living each day fully(however that looks for you) makes for a meaningful life. And this next chapter? The truth is: We might need to change how we do things. We might need to adapt to new methods. We’ve done that our whole lives, so why would it be any different now? ​
​ Cathy
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🌻 Not Done Yet: Aging Doesn’t Mean Disappearing
