Are you afraid of getting older? I am—it’s automatic, and yet it’s normal. It’s as if I’ve let time get ahead of me, while I’ve remained frozen in place. I’m approaching my mid-thirties; I have a boyfriend, three kids, a cat, a house… all of this seems like the picture-perfect life everyone wants, but if you stop and think about it, you realize that a large part of our existence is already set in stone—it’s been decided, in a way.
It’s official that anything is possible and that the best is yet to come, but pause for a moment—think back to your childhood dreams, to what the future looked like to you. Are you right where you imagined you’d be—in the place that, back then, seemed like the logical path for you? I think there’s a 50/50 chance that it’s exactly what we pictured, or at least partly true.
We all remember hearing our moms tell us, “Enjoy it—you’re young; you have plenty of time.” And we’d reply, “When I grow up, Mom, I’ll be able to do whatever I want!” In hindsight, we realize she was right—and not just a little!
Now it’s over; we’re fully immersed in our lives as moms. We turn 18—something that seemed like a mountain to climb, but once we made it to the top, we really got into it. As for me, by the end of my 18th year, I was pregnant for the first time, and it wasn’t planned. At first, I was unsure; everything was happening too fast. It feels like I didn’t get to experience what a young adult is supposed to do. On the other hand, I was already fulfilling one of my dreams—one I was absolutely determined to achieve. My boyfriend was older, so he was ready to take on this new life.
The years flew by without me really noticing. I’ve changed mentally and physically. I think I’ve become a better person, and all of this has made the things I used to do as a child—playing with dolls, pretending to be a mom, and imitating my mother—come true.
Being a mom is surely the thing that moves us the most. For my part, I have no regrets. And you—where were you supposed to be in your mid-thirties? When you were 18, what did you do that you’d wanted to do for a long time? “Time is here—always the only justice on this earth,” as Luc De Larochellière would say. It’s up to us to make good use of it and not be afraid to pause it at certain moments in our lives—to take stock or even to look back. Taking a step back doesn’t hurt; it’s vital.