Caught up in Numbers

Dear all,

This month has been incredibly busy, so the actual blog to announce all the big news will have to wait until next time. It's been a huge transitional time along with a few techological delays. Unfortunately, while computers are quite helpful and meant to cause less complication in our lives, they often end up causing more during installation processes. They are the irony of our lives!

May is always a big month for me, my parents both having birthdays. This is when I joke my mother is only 30, which is often when people smirk at me in confusion. "But you're over 30? Is she a step-mother?" When I shake my head, they seem even more puzzled, until I explain, "No, she was 40 once, but then started counting backwards after that. Once she hit 30 again, she stopped counting." While it's a humour that I share with people as a joke, it also inspires me because we are only as old as we feel. Why do we let numbers dictate how we must act? Granted, we do need to meet certain standards, for example, taking on financial independence when we become adults, or gaining self-worth and competence to care for ourselves, but outside of those, what is age really? The oldest woman to ever give birth was 66 officially, however it was recently reported in the Guardian that the oldest woman to give birth was in her 70s from India. So if even our biology can't tell us "you're too old" for something, then how can we?

Ageism can be a sickness in our world. We are judged on how old we are and what we have to show. Whether you're going for a job, going to a party, or just reading a book, we are covered in expectations or pre-conceived ideas based on our age. I used to feel insecure about them myself. Years ago, my plan was to graduate university as a psychologist at the age of 24, working through school to save up for a house by 27, then settle down by 30 with a partner while going into private practice. I planned a cat around that time too. Of course, life never went to plan, but it was recently I looked around and realised that things aren't that far off what I wanted. I got my living arrangements sorted years ago, graduated in 2012, and I've been assisting in a large health organisation for almost 6 years, and now working in private practice. That's not far off what I planned. The goals were completed in alternate ways to what I had chosen, but does that really matter? At 35, I've arranged most of what I wanted, and now just want to follow through with the plans long-term. Life seemed so complicated to get into the right path, but all it took was self-belief and determination.

Over the next month there will be many changes to the websites and practice, which I'm excited to launch. It's going to be a big month of movement and I hope everyone will be watching on with best wishes and good tidings. Wherever you are, remember, that you are only limited by yourself. You are your best friend or worst enemy, based on the actions or beliefs you allow yourself. You set your bar in life. If you want to do more, listen to that, nourish that, and ask how you can make it work for you. How others want you to live is only a suggestion; what you choose for yourself is the rule.

Until next time,
The Editor.