I love the month and this time of year – always feels like renewal and rebirth to me – and it’s my birthday month so there’s that. 😉
This year I’m turning 65! What??
I’ve never been one who dreads birthdays and this one is no different. It IS landing a little differently though…
Medicare kicked in this week. I’m now at “retirement age” (although not retiring, thank you very much). And I am apparently officially eligible for Silver Sneakers. I mean… Silver Sneakers.
When did THAT happen? (and I’ll totally take advantage of it, btw.)
Here’s the thing though – where I thought I’d be at 65 and where I actually am are two completely different places. And that’s a good thing.
Younger me had a whole script running about what this chapter was supposed to look like. What I’d have built, who I’d be, how it would all line up. And for a long time I was measuring myself against that script without even realizing it – negotiating my worth against a story I’d written decades ago.
Somewhere along the way I started letting go of what I’d expected – of myself, of others, of the world – and what came in wasn’t emptiness. It was freedom. The kind that doesn’t need everything to look a certain way to feel okay. Or to feel grounded and home in myself.
The kind that comes from living in the flow.
So here I am. 65, Medicare card in hand, Silver Sneakers and all – freer than I have ever been. And it’s the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.
What about you – is there a story you’ve been negotiating with that might not read the way it used to?
Just something to sit with over coffee. ☕
With love (and birthday cake),
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Kate A. Bares | Soul Integration Methodâ„¢
Helping You Reclaim Self-Worth + Emotional Freedom!