One 40-something on how life is different in her 40s than her 20s. WE often think there is less to look forward to but often there is more— it’s just a change in perspective of how you see the same thing.
Then we indulged and thought about it afterward. Now I think and then indulge. Do then think vs think then do. I could use a little more spontaneity now…but I wish I had done a little more thinking before doing then!
I didn’t have any stability and I didn’t know what I wanted. Now I have stability and I can choose and it doesn’t matter. Not so much because of the stability but because I know I can survive.
I remember the feeling of having to get to the next step and having to accomplish something or failing the expectations of society…or my parents and my friends. It’s pressure. I always felt a little out of sync. Finding a mate and a career that I wanted and deciding where I wanted to live — I just didn’t know and was spinning. I felt I was underachieving. Time is much more fluid now. I hope that as time seems to go faster, 20-somethings actually go slower. Take your time in your 20s. Ignore timelines and go at your own pace. No one else can walk in your shoes.
-40-something, DC, marketing exec