Be a Happy Old Lady with One Simple Rule
With a somber look on her face, an elderly lady once said to me, “I used to be a better person.” Even though I had witnessed the difficult behavior, her confession broke my heart. I have spent time listening to the elderly people around me. I have heard stories of sacrifice, stories of self-imposed restrictions, and so many “shoulds” and “should nots.” I heard all the ways they silenced themselves over the years. After a lifetime of this, it’s no wonder someone would be too tired to smile.
The silence within me was deafening. It scared me. I remembered how outspoken I used to be, unapologetically outspoken. It felt like I let a part of me die, but never mourned its death. I guess if I didn’t honor my voice when it was alive and well, why would I have honored it in death?
I longed for something different. I knew that if I didn’t express myself now, all my unspoken wants will turn into resentment and anger later. Over the past few years, I have been reconnecting with my voice and speaking up. I began expanding into myself and my life. This is what I have discovered so far.
Kind and passive are two very different things.
I confused these concepts my entire life. I thought that being a kind person meant…
