Some thoughts about aging
And other pensive, retrospective, contemplative, etc. sentiments
I turned 39.
Just one more year before I hit the big 4-0 and officially enter the middle age era.
I don’t know about you, but I used to have quite a big problem with aging. Not so much about looking old (although if I were to be completely honest, I’d love to age beautifully as much as I can too tyvm) – but being old. And all that comes with it: being less fit, gaining more fats, losing hair… and saying goodbye to my youthful dreams.
Do you feel the same way?
An older friend of mine once told me she had absolutely no qualms about growing older. Because, let’s face it, the alternative to growing old is being dead.
Isn’t that the truth?
Every year we get to age is actually a gift. And I know that to be true, especially when I look at Alistair and celebrate his birthdays. Every year he grows older is a gift. Same for Amy. Same for all of us.
Growing old is a gift. So why do we resist it? Why do we dread it?
For me, I’d say it’s because I feel that I still have so many things I want to do, so many dreams I want to achieve. And every year I get older, I get more frustrated that I haven’t achieved them. Or worse, that I may be getting too old to achieve them now. That my time has passed. And that I’m going to take all the untapped potential, unfulfilled dreams, if-onlys and failed possibilities into the grave with me.
Enter regret, disappointment, anger, bitterness, etc.
Dramatic? Maybe. But also, the truth.
This year, however, I’m learning to see it differently.
If we haven’t yet achieved the dreams of our youth, it may mean one of two things:
It’s not too late, you’re not too old, and you can still make it happen; OR
It’s simply not meant to be – and God has something better in store for you.
A lookback at 2024
Continuing my own tradition that nobody really cares about, here’s where I list some of my highlights – and even lowlights – of the past year.
Alistair completed his treatment! 🔔🔔🔔
We moved to a different suburb and found our new home
I painted quite a bit and read a lot
Both kids went to their own individual camps – without us!
We went on an overseas trip for the first time since COVID and Alistair’s diagnosis
And in the same overseas trip, I SNORKELLED for the first time!
We watched a live AFL game for the first time, thanks to Challenge 🥰
I took Amy to the Beauty and the Beast musical – her first ever musical 😍
I found Dr’s Secret skincare and started my glowing, foundation-free skin journey ✨ 7 months in and I can honestly say I’m over the moon with the results
So over the moon in fact, I’ve also decided to build the business as a side hustle 💪🏼 Going slow and steady and learning lots as I go, but I love being able to help others with their skin too
We went on Alistair’s Starlight Wish trip to Gold Coast and had such a fantastic time at Sea World, Australia Zoo and Movie World – thank you Starlight Children’s Foundation ⭐️
I survived two weeks alone with the kids as the hubby went on an overseas work trip, phew
We had multiple trips to the emergency for both kids AND the hubby – and some really bad bouts of sickness
Work-wise, my role was made redundant and I was sad, uncertain, lost…
But that led me back to the agency I used to work with, this time as a Copy Lead 🥳
So, overall, a fantastic yet faith-stretching year. Compared to the previous years, I’d say 2024 has actually been a really good one. I’m so grateful for all that God has blessed us with, and for His protection over us.
Books of the year
And of course I cannot write a newsletter without including some book recommendations!
I sadly didn’t achieve my 50-book reading challenge goal this year, but I still hit 45 and I’m happy with that. Plus, I feel I read quite a number of great books this year, which was incredibly satisfying!
Here are my five-star reads of 2024, in no particular order:
Between by L.L. Starling
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn
The Bride by Julie Garwood
The Secret by Julie Garwood
A Murder is Announced by Agatha Christie
A Ruse of Shadows by Sherry Thomas
The A.B.C. Murders by Agatha Christie
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
A Dangerous Collaboration by Deanna Raybourne
Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie
A Treacherous Curse by Deanna Raybourne
Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
Emily Wilde’s Map of the Otherlands by Heather Fawcett
The Takedown by Carlie Walker
I’ve got a lot of beloved four-stars too, but that would make this list way too long!
Preparing for the new year
This is the time of the year to rest, reflect, and recharge. How are you winding down and taking care of yourself this season?
Earlier this year I wrote a piece about the importance of doing and thinking about nothing, but then I left it forgotten in my draft folder (oops). Perhaps I’ll finish that and publish it soon. Or perhaps it’ll just be… nothing? 🤭 But anyway, I digress.
Along with the resting, reflecting and recharging, I also like to take this time of the year to ready myself for the new year. To plan and pray. To dream big but also set achievable goals. To reset my mindset and realign my focus.
I’ve also somehow picked up a practice: to think about my word for the new year. The word that would help me set the tone for the next 12 months.
(I confess, however, that I can’t really remember what word I gave myself last year. Probably something along the lines of ‘rest’.)
For 2025, I feel my word is GROWTH.
What about yours? Feel free to share – or not 😉
I hope you’ve had a beautiful Christmas, and I pray you’ll have a wonderful start to the new year. Blessings to you and your loved ones!