Passed Yesterday, colliding into Today-

No time to gently merge.

Time is running out.

Time doesn’t wait.

Anita of first decade of life, of second, of .. oh, aging has begun back then! Oopsie, am on the other side of life-death.

Time is independent of personal wishes, conveniences, preferences and individual processing of time.

It just rushes ahead.

So, now I am an older woman? I don’t remember giving my permission ..lol. Not really laughing out loud.

Anita

Dear Alessa:

Thinking of you fondly too. ❤️ I love the way you put it—life is much like time, and we get what we get. It’s true that sometimes life happens to us without our say in it, and making lemonade out of lemons is the only choice we have. 🍋

As for getting older, I have mixed feelings. In some ways, I feel so much younger than when I was a teenager. Back then, I was depressed, isolated, confused, and joyless—an old teenager before I’d even had the chance to be young. But now? I’m not depressed, not isolated, not confused, and that makes me feel lighter, freer, and in a way, younger than ever.

If you look at the photo I uploaded, you’d see me in torn jeans, hair in a ponytail, no makeup, no dyed hair—just me, as I am. And when I’m dancing, especially with a little red wine to shake off inhibition, no one can tell me I’m not 18! There’s something beautiful about feeling that kind of energy, even when the number on my birth certificate says otherwise.

At the same time, I notice the changes in my skin—thinner, wrinkled, and strangely, no more hair on my arms, as if my skin has stopped fostering growth. It’s odd, not something I mourn, just something that makes me pause and reflect on how time silently reshapes us.

But recently, I’ve resolved not to feel badly about the physical signs of aging. Why should I be ashamed of it? I want to accept it—in myself, in others, even embrace it. Aging is not something to fight, but something to live fully.

I know you are still young, Alessa, but what are your feelings about getting older?

Warmly, Anita