Today is my birthday, and here, TeamConfessioners, are just a few of the ways I can tell I’m getting older:

• I no longer use my teeth to open things for fear that I’ll lose a tooth forever and ever.
• I go the ‘long way around’ the town green in Guilford, Connecticut (population 22,000) to avoid downtown traffic.
• I have hip, shoulder, and knee issues that come out of nowhere.
• I’d say I’m super forgetful, but really, I think I just have too much to remember nowadays.
• And, I drive myself bananas with how long it takes me to get out of the house and how long it takes me to get ready for bed. The time isn’t longer than it needs to be; it’s just longer than I want it to be. I couldn’t tell you what’s taking me so long; I just keep forgetting that I have ‘one more thing to do.’

While this all feels very in-line with the process of aging, the question becomes: Am I adjusting accordingly? 

I’m reminded of the post I wrote on adaptability a few years back. Life isn’t about survival of the fittest, but survival of the most adaptable. The world seems to be changing at such an alarming rate (I can say this now, because I’m old). But, it’s only going to feel like it’s changing faster as I get older and slower. I sometimes catch myself saying ‘Kids these days…,’ a clear warning sign that I’m headed down a miserable road leading straight out of content-town.

This birthday, the one before the big 5-0, is an ideal time to remind myself that my job isn’t to keep up with everything I once kept up with. My job is to continually adjust my approach so that I keep up with only what I want to keep up with. 

So, this year, my birthday gift to myself is permission to evolve with life rather than fight it. I don’t have to be as strong, or as fast, or as sharp as I once was, I can just exercise my right to adapt. I can accept people, places, things, and myself just as they are. 

Hey, is there someone in your life who you think would benefit from hearing this post? Please forward this episode with them. Next week, I’m going to take some time to recommit to why it’s so important to me to be the kind of person that I would want to spend time with! Thanks for listening!