Today is special.
Because I’m “celebrating” …or agonizing over (not sure yet) about living my last few hours as a 20 something year old. Soon, it wont be ok for me to sleep with my makeup on or get sick in the bushes, at a party. I’ll become that “cool” older gal that still party like in her 20′s and hang out with a few, very mature for their age, 20 something year olds. As frightening as it might sound, getting one year older isn’t so much of a freak out in my mind as I might portrait on twitter.
Am I nervous? Maybe a little but mixed in an excitement to see what this new chapter of my life will be like. As I’m about to make the jump to the age where it’s acceptable to hang out in 35-40 (that’s the age range if you’re wondering) nightclubs, I’m looking back on what I learned in the last 10 years and here’s what I got up to date…
1- You NEED time off.
“The superman syndrome” is something I’ve been suffering since… forever! Let’s be honest here, I doubt this constant burning fire will ever die BUT I have to come to the reality that it’s impossible to live a life in front of my computer, constantly learning new skills that I wish to apply but always be to busy to do so while trying to entertain a public. At some point, you realize that you’re technically working 24/7 and then you go “boom”.
That one I learned the hard way. After a serious break down to which I still wonder if I totally recovered from, a little time ago, I realized that it was time to stop working 12+ hours a day and start taking week ends, days off and unplug from technology from time to time. Business can wait, it’s important to make a life instead of working to make a life. A concept that was overshadowed in my 20′s and overthrown by the fear of not being where I wanted to be when I’m 30′s.
…which I still haven’t achieved yet but instead of stressing out about it, I’ll just keep a positive and grateful attitude and keep doing my best like a I always did while never forgetting to unplug from time to time.
2- Invest time in people who have a positive impact on your life.
Another lesson learned the hard way… Not everybody is worth giving your time.
Some people, although they are great people, don’t match well with you and together, you aren’t being your best selfs. As annoying and bothersome as it might look like, get rid of the bad energies surrounding you and concentrate on the small amount of people (usually, you can count them with your fingers) that really make you feel whole, happy and brings out the best in you.
3- The perfect plan doesn’t exist, just go with the flow.
As much as we would like to create and follow the perfect plan, life happens. Sometimes, it will seem like you’re never gonna reach the final line but all good things takes times and it’s pointless to stress over unrealistic goals. As I mentioned, I’m not exactly where I had planned on being at my age but that doesn’t mean I failed! It only means that, once again, I forgot to leave some space for all the little bumps life likes to throw our way.
Rome wasn’t built in one night, with a focus and positive mind, I know I’ll get where I want to be but it might take a little longer than expected and it’s perfectly OK. Till then, I’ll just enjoy, follow the current and grow at every little steps… hopefully.
4- Life is what you make it.
Something Melody had written on a piece of cardboard, placed on my wall back in my old loft and again placed in my closet in my last apartment. I always understood the meaning and always did my best to apply it but more often than not, I kept going back to my bad habits of over thinking, over planning while forgetting to take a moment to stop, breath and enjoy the view. I wanted a certain type of life but I was never making the right choices in order to achieve it.
Hoping this new decade will bring a lot more wisdom and allow me to live it now fully, every day without never turning back to my old habits.
5- Everybody’s crazy and nobody knows what they’re doing.
That was one of the most positive lesson of the past decade. Once you understand this concept, the world suddenly change and you start feeling compassion, understanding and a strange closeness to everyone around you.
In the end, we’re just people trying to get by in this crazy world. We play the cards that are given to us, the best we can, even if it doesn’t always end up like in a fairy tale.
We all have flaws, we all make mistakes and we all want to be happy.
************************
In conclusion, I’m going to embrace my dirty thirties and make sure to film all of it 
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September 23, 2015
better CELEBRATE, do not agonize over (it’s awful and useless, I know what I say (for the record I’m 42)(thereafter I went from my 20’s to my 30’s and from my 30’s to my 40’s)) everytime you walk thru’ that kinda doorways it’s produced in the mind what psychologist call ‘a crisis’ but ‘though everything that’s felt is no more than that, nothing you can’t really handle. I had a friend (she passed by now) she was 93 and she’d always say ‘age is only a number’.
doesn’t nightclubs in canada allow entrance to somebody above 40? in my country there’s no limit! yeah! I love Uruguay!
you know the superman syndrome is something usual, most people have it and live with it and die with it, is not that bad after all, just think if it wasn’t because of that many things would remain unconcluded, to live in front of a computer is rather possible indeed, not healthy or clean but possible it is,
you’re RIGHT when you say that the perfect plan doesn’t exist but you’re WRONG when you say ‘just go with the flow’ again you’re RIGHT saying that life happens but you fail expecting to arrive to a final line ’cause there’s not such a thing, there’s always a further horizon to reach. do you remember Buzz Lightyear and his usual saying ’till the infinite and further beyond’, THAT’S IT!!! unrealistic goals? all of my goals are unrealistic and I don’t think I am screwed, after all where would we be if we’re not capable to dream? lemme tell ya why Rome wasn’t built in one night, ’cause as all cities and towns Rome is still being built, bad habits? we, everybody has, and who says this or that habit is bad? is only a matter of perspective
September 24, 2015
Life… is what happens while we are busy making other plans.
No matter how mature, grown up or smart we believe to be, life is always teaching us just how much more room for growth is left. It’s particularly amusing how (usually at our teenage years), we come to believe that we already have it all figured out, only to then get face-slapped by reality and a heavy dose of humbleness. True, there are many who still haven’t reached that stage yet, they really stand out because they are so certain of themselves, so full of themselves.
I remember when I was there, too, at 17, thinking that was the best possible age to be, as I thought I was at the pinnacle of my growth. Hah, if only my past self knew.
Life is a journey of neverending growth. We experience joy, pain, pleasure, but it all adds up together into a richer kind of life experience. And if there’s anything we don’t like, we learn how to deal with it, or it’ll keep bugging us until we do.
But wasn’t your birthday in March, Ariel? I wonder what exactly you are celebrating, near the end of September o_O