Share Your World – March 20th, 2017

It’s that time of the week again, the time when Cee asks us random questions in her Share Your World Challenge. This challenge seems to turn in my anchor when kicking off my “blogging week” and I really enjoy answering the questions as they always make me think a little bit further, deeper and maybe even outside the box…

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? 
I think I would be 30ish? Can’t tell you why but 30 seems like a good age to be stuck with… Your a little bit more mature and still young. But then the question was not what age you’d like to be stuck with but what age you would be if you wouldn’t know your actual age. So it’s more of a feeling. How old do I feel? Right now old… But that’s just because there is so much going on and I feel I don’t get the time to recharge I need at this point.

And that’s what Cee’s question do to me… they make me think…

So actually I just realized that I do not feel older but just tired. I still feel like me. And me is mid 40’s. But how does age actually feel? Do we feel fresh just because we are young? Do we feel tired because we hit a certain age? Or do we just feel like ourselves and the circumstances we are in, no matter the age?

I believe it’s rather the last one.

I do think you can let yourself get to the point you feel old. In saying we feel old we kind of point out that we feel tired, not as switched on anymore. Maybe not attractive. I have never heard anyone say “I feel old” and actually mean it in a positive way, like feeling more mature, feeling more grounded or feeling happy because you live a good life.

In our society being old is not something we want to be. Although we do not want to die young we also don’t want to appear old or become old. Interesting, isn’t it? In other societies the elderly are the wise people, the ones everyone looks up to. Old is beautiful.

So back to Cee’s question: I feel as old as I am. With all the good and bad. I know that my body can’t handle the same it was able to process when I was 20. Is it a bad thing? Not necessarily. While I realize that I can’t do the same things anymore I was able to when younger, I also realize that I can do much more than back then. I know much more. I have gained knowledge and maturity and wisdom. I’m still able to do heaps of stuff and I’m healthy. So feeling as old as I am at the moment is a good thing and I believe we should all look at aging differently that what is forced upon us. It is truly not a bad thing!

So, you’re on your way out and it’s raining. Do you know where your umbrella is or do you frantically search for it all over your apartment/house?
I know exactly where it is. The question sometimes is more how easy I can actually get to it. We have different umbrellas (which might make us special here…). The mini one is the one I have always handy. Just in case. And then we have what I call the family umbrella. A big one. That one is stored away and will most likely be taken out and put in the car soon as with winter more wet weather will arrive.

Do you recharge your energy by going out with friends for a good time or by spending with quiet time alone?
It depends. I can recharge in doing both of the above. Spending time with good friends, great people always feeds me energy. Sometimes even being around people that are in a happy place will do, even if I don’t know them. I strongly believe in transmitting energy. And when the energy is high and positive you will feed from it.

I do though need my quiet time for sure. Time I can walk along the beach or go for a hike or a stroll in a park. Time that gives me me time and allows me to let my thoughts wander. You can’t let your thoughts drift away when you spend time with people. You will be engaged.

Name three things you and your spouse, partner or best friend  to have in common.
Well there is the obvious “thing” my husband and I have in common: The love for our children and for each other. We also see the world very similarly, although we do not express it the same way and deal with it slightly differently. But the way we see it is the same. We have the same values, the same pet peeves. The way we deal with it is different and yet often the same. Tricky to explain. It’s something I really appreciate, this similarity and yet the difference. I believe it’s important for a relationship to work, no matter if it is a friendship, a relationship, a bond between siblings. It needs the differences and it needs the overlapping. This will keep the dialog going and also feeds the feeling of being supported while still challenged. I hope it makes sense…

Optional Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I could once more refer to my Tell Me Something Good post but I’d actually like to type it out: It makes me happy to see that my daughter has a clear idea of where she wants to go with her life. She researches what she will need to do in order to get there and she speaks with people who have chosen that career.

Although it might change, as she is still so young, it gives her something to work towards and it’s hers. It’s not us instilling it in her and trying to make her go in a certain direction. While I understand that parents feel the need to do it, I’m very hesitant in trying to push my children down a certain path. What is right for me is not necessarily right for them. So if I choose a path for them it might mess with them although they might be successful. Seeing her taking her future in her hands and start building it makes me really happy.