On the Process of Growing Older

"We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves."
~May L. Becker

It is the eve of my 28th year of birth and I'm feeling pretty excited about the process of growing older. Perhaps this is strange, coming from someone in a culture where youth is prized and admired above all, and one's 20s are idealised as a sort of golden age. And, here I am, inching ever closer toward 30... . So, why am I looking forward to getting older?

First and foremost, I love that I know myself better than ever before. And it's all the crap I went through in my teens and early to mid-20s that has gotten me to this place of self-knowledge. I don't regret any of it, but damn, am I glad those times are over! This means that I'm much more confident than I have ever been in the past; I am more assertive about what I want and need from others in order to be happy, and more able to reciprocate toward them about what they need. Dating has become much more enjoyable too since I finally have a pretty good idea about what type of person I want to spend time with. Plus - strangely enough - I'm actually becoming more fearless as I get older. I was one of those kids who was always afraid to do a handstand or climb a tree, when I was supposed to be blissfully ignorant of my mortality. What am I doing to celebrate my birthday tomorrow? I'm going to the Toronto School of Circus Arts to take a flying trapeze class! Bring it on! :)

Second, my physical self is getting better as I age too. My inner confidence means I'm comfortable pushing myself harder at the gym, and at a most basic level, I finally mostly know what types of clothes actually look good on me (as much as I love it, my She-Ra t-shirt has essentially been retired. So sad, but probably for the best in terms of my students figuring out I'm their TA and not a classmate!). Years of physiotherapy and working out has helped me to learn how to manage my joint problems too, and I'm more pain-free now than I have been since my mid-teens.

Third, I have a huge group of friends. Amazing friends. And that circle keeps getting wider as the years pass and I move/travel all over the place. Many of these people are going to be at a party I am throwing myself at the Duke of York Pub on Friday, and I feel privileged to know each and every one of them, because they are all in my life for a reason. I wouldn't know half of them if I had any less life experience, and my life would be so much less rich without them.

Finally, I am closer than ever to finishing university! Yes, only (approximately) 3 years of 13 to go! And that means I'll be able to start my career and, hopefully, be at a point where I feel confident in myself and my abilities and have a job that I truly love. The idea of having a bit more stability in my life is appealing too - as long as things don't get too routine and predictable, anyway. ;) I'm never going to be one of those people who wants a new home, SUV, and 2.5 children in the white-picket suburbs of some major city, and I'm just fine with that.

So, here's to getting older, and all of the wisdom it brings. :)