back to September 2024 newsletter  
by Edna Wallace, LMFT

you age….
But you vow
you’re not going
to be like them.

You’re going to keep active.
You need a
stimulating life.
Other people
can sit in their
armchair,
waiting to die.
Other people
can be okay with
being just
“grandma.”

But you’re
going to keep up
with the best of them.
You’ll be climbing
mountains,
riding waves,
biking through France.

You do Botox,
eye creams,
sunscreen.
You listen to
podcasts.
You work.

But your body has
different ideas.
When you do that
2000-foot gain
in two hours,
and come
home sweaty
and exultant,
you can’t walk
for a week.
When you try on
that cute little skirt,
… it looks wrong.
When you work
into your 70s,
people just…
begin to wonder.

You’re old, they think.
You’re not old, you think.

But you’ve already
proven yourself,
my dear.
You were young
and beautiful.
You could compete
with the top tier.
You saw success
at work, at love,
at edge sports.

You don’t need to
do that now.
You can actually
take time
to sit …
to sip your coffee,
to volunteer.

Who are you now?
It really is okay
to be you now.
What are you
afraid of?