Helloooo! It’s been a few months but I am back with another piece on age and joy. Whether you fear it or don’t even care about it, I still think you will get something out of this one. I was actually trying to explain my concept about classifying someone as young or old to someone in the pub last week but they just weren’t getting it, let’s hope it makes sense to you and we’ll just blame that on the Guinness lol. 

So, I was running about the forest bare foot as ya do and thinking about being 32, and how I really don’t feel 32. Everyone does it, when you are like 8 you think wowww 21 is so old, and people in their 30’s are ancient. Then when you get older you still kinda feel young but your birth certificate tells you otherwise. Of course, we change, evolve and get wiser, but still deep down you are that little kid who loves Barbie or the 16-year-old who loves getting up to mischief – well, I am anyway. 

Re-thinking if you are young or old

It got me thinking, how can anyone be described as old or young when none of us really know when our last day on earth is gonna be. I know it sounds confusing but it makes sense to me lol. For example, you could be 20 years old which is considered incredibly young, but you could only maybe have another three years left on this earth because that’s your fate. So that technically makes you old, but you will never look at a 20-year-old and say wow, you’re so old – because you don’t know their fate. And same goes for a 60-year-old who could potentially live until they are 100, which means they have 40 years left on Earth (quick maffs), meaning they are incredibly young aaaaaand they’re in fact very much entitled to a midlife crisis at 50. 

This came about because I often think of my timeline and life. I’ve mentioned this a few times before that by the time I got to 32, I had expected to be married with a few kids, but where I am now at the age of 32 is an incredible place that I didn’t even dream of myself in, and I am so happy. But sometimes I can think wow okay I am leaving it pretty late here to start a family, fall in love, get married, all that kind of stuff. But again, I don’t know what day I’m gonna be leaving Earth, it could be next week, it could be another 60 years’ time. None of us actually know if we are ‘young’ or ‘old’. Yes of course, there biological implications with the process of aging which is called senescence (the process of deterioration with age and the loss of a cell’s power of division and growth), but also, a 60-year-old who looks after themselves incredibly well can be healthier in comparison to a 30-year-old who doesn’t look after themselves at all.

Don’t worry, be happy

That was all a really long-winded way of saying stop comparing yourself and stop worrying about age. Stop worrying about your timeline, try to look at them both with a grateful perspective and be present here in this moment. Be grateful that you’re here and alive. Your present, you’re loved, you have a roof over your head. We are incredibly lucky. I’m writing this as a reminder to myself too. Sometimes when I am about to fall asleep at night my mind can race with all of these crazy scenarios. It’s like my brain can sense I am about to fall asleep and it’s like YUP, it’s wackadoodle time. I don’t actually know when my timeline will end so I don’t have any right to be harsh on myself about whether I am on track, or I am behind, or if I am maybe going too fast. So, let’s look at life with a different approach. We don’t know if we’re ‘young’ or ‘old’, but we know that we’re here right now in this very moment, and what we can do, is just appreciate it and feel love. Spread joy and just enjoy it.

It’s time to focus on joy boiiiiii

The last few months I have been doing quite intense meditations to try and gain a little bit of a deeper understanding, not of my purpose, but maybe a message from the universe or my inner guidance/higher self, just some guidance on life. Every single time, the main message that came out was that I am here to have fun and to experience joy. It reminded me of this quote about the ancient Egyptians, I think I’ve mentioned it before:

“Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, ‘Did you bring joy?’ The second was, ‘Did you find joy?”

― Leo Buscaglia

What an amazing outlook to have on life, it’s pretty simple too. Yes, we know life is incredibly hard at times, but sometimes we can forget to experience joy and to just have fun. 

So key takeaways from this blog are:

• There is no point worrying about your age, you could be sitting here reading this hella young at 65! 
• Try to not worry about your timeline in life – everything will happen that is meant to happen
• Don’t forget to have fun, experience joy and give joy to others – enjoy the journey babaaayyyyyyyyyyyyy

Now go have some fun. Love, Cat x

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