Forever Young

As my 37th birthday approaches I cannot help but wonder how quickly the years pass.  Now, don't misunderstand this to mean that I am yet another one of those individuals afraid to grow older and trying desperately to hold onto being young by any means possible, because that's simply untrue.  I actually look forward to every single birthday and year that passes.  To me, age is truly nothing but a number and try not to give into the "scare" of it all.  After all, new years bring new adventures, new journeys and new dreams.  If not, what it can do is bring you one step closer to ones already in play.  It can also give you a swift kick in the behind to realize those things you've put off doing as well.

That being said, I still do feel a bit off about things in a general sense.  What I mean is that although I am in my mid Thirties, I could swear that I am still this 17 year old girl mentally.  I have always been a "young girl at heart" and I am very proud to say that I have never lost my youthful sense of life.  I still listen to my music as loudly now as I did then.  I cannot wait to talk to my girlfriends about their love lives more now than ever before.  I am always looking for the next exciting adventure awaiting me and still giggle uncontrollably like a school girl whenever a cute guy smiles at me. At times I feel more youthful now than ever before.

I truly believe that youthfulness (as everything else) is a "state of mind"  at best.  Something many of us clearly forget.  So why is that exactly?  At what point do any of us look around at our lives and feel old?  More importantly, why do we loose that sense of "youthful freedom" when we become a certain age?  Of course with age comes responsibility and financial obligations (two things that may have never been a real concern when we were 17), but when did it become ok to allow our spirits to die? 

As human beings we are all threatened by numbers.  Our age, the amount of money we make, the number of possessions we own, how much we weigh, the number of grey hairs or wrinkles that we have and most importantly:  How many failures we have counted in discouragement.  We are imprisoned by them time and time again.  Numbers create importance in our minds and burden our hearts when all we should really care about is how we feel inside. 

I for one refuse to allow my years to pass in fear or sadness of what a number may represent.  They do not threaten me.  Instead I am truly thankful for every day and year that I spend on this earth and look forward to new journeys.  I will never let a number define who I am, or allow it to represent who I should be or how I should act.  We should  never forget to be and feel young everyday.  In the end it is that kind of mentality that will truly ever keep you feeling alive. 

In the words of  an infamous band:  Words that I will always salute and live by:


"Freedom has a scent like the top of a newborn baby's head
The songs are in your eyes
Everyone can see them when you smile
Always look in the mirror and see yourself from the start
And never forget to always remain a child, somewhere inside your heart"

U2 - How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb