when i grow up...
It's sad to grow old, but nice to ripen. ~ Brigitte Bardot
I was recently watching some videos and an interview featuring the always vibrant Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage. She is 44 years old; vibrant, gorgeous, grounded, sexy and undeniably talented. She is cool, confident and one of the brassiest and most self-assured performers on the rock stage. When I grow up...I want to be Shirley Manson.
I’m staring down the barrel of my 37th birthday and find myself wondering
(a) where did the time go?
(b) what am I supposed to feel like as a move into my, gulp, late-thirties
(c) who’s the fool that originally said “age brings wisdom”
(d) what is it about this particular birthday that makes it hard to form the words “thirty-seven” when someone asks me my age?
What I know is this: I know very little. Sure, it’s easy for me to sit here and pontificate about feelings, self-reflection, confidence, relationships and perspective. But the truth is that I know enough to know that I really know very little, and that you have to be ready to roll with the crazy situations you find yourself in, fight for what you love and believe is right, admit your mistakes to yourself and others, and allow yourself to self-indulge to the brink of Bacchus-like proportions as long as you savor the moment. Never, ever be afraid to tell someone how you feel but don’t do it at the expense of being insensitive. Remind yourself that everyone has a story, and be brave enough to flip the page and shatter your illusions of who you think you’re sitting next to in order to find out who they really are. When someone presents you with their worst attributes, friend or foe, make an active decision on whether to run the other way or accept them for who they are. And in case I haven't mentioned it in the past, remember that the only power you really have is how you treat others and how you treat yourself.
Oh yes, birthdays are intensely interesting milestones that seem to spur a firestorm of random thoughts, musings about what it means to grow older and whether or not we ever really grow up. As I approach my birthday next week, I take comfort in the fact that I have very few regrets and a renewed sense of vitality. A desire to open up my worldview, and let some new ideas, dreams and possibilities take hold.
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. ~John Barrymore
I was recently watching some videos and an interview featuring the always vibrant Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage. She is 44 years old; vibrant, gorgeous, grounded, sexy and undeniably talented. She is cool, confident and one of the brassiest and most self-assured performers on the rock stage. When I grow up...I want to be Shirley Manson.
I’m staring down the barrel of my 37th birthday and find myself wondering
(a) where did the time go?
(b) what am I supposed to feel like as a move into my, gulp, late-thirties
(c) who’s the fool that originally said “age brings wisdom”
(d) what is it about this particular birthday that makes it hard to form the words “thirty-seven” when someone asks me my age?
What I know is this: I know very little. Sure, it’s easy for me to sit here and pontificate about feelings, self-reflection, confidence, relationships and perspective. But the truth is that I know enough to know that I really know very little, and that you have to be ready to roll with the crazy situations you find yourself in, fight for what you love and believe is right, admit your mistakes to yourself and others, and allow yourself to self-indulge to the brink of Bacchus-like proportions as long as you savor the moment. Never, ever be afraid to tell someone how you feel but don’t do it at the expense of being insensitive. Remind yourself that everyone has a story, and be brave enough to flip the page and shatter your illusions of who you think you’re sitting next to in order to find out who they really are. When someone presents you with their worst attributes, friend or foe, make an active decision on whether to run the other way or accept them for who they are. And in case I haven't mentioned it in the past, remember that the only power you really have is how you treat others and how you treat yourself.
Oh yes, birthdays are intensely interesting milestones that seem to spur a firestorm of random thoughts, musings about what it means to grow older and whether or not we ever really grow up. As I approach my birthday next week, I take comfort in the fact that I have very few regrets and a renewed sense of vitality. A desire to open up my worldview, and let some new ideas, dreams and possibilities take hold.
A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams. ~John Barrymore
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