I saw this video about Sally. She’s 97 years old and she’s a dog walker. She talks about being active at her age and how people are telling her to rest. She refuses to, by the way. This made me think and remember conversations I’ve had with numerous people in varying ages telling me how they “should be” because they’re at a specific age range. I used to think this way or sometimes I still do and it gets frustrating.
It’s frustrating because you are not what society has told you to be. Not yet or maybe not ever. We’ll never know. I’ve heard this frustration from people in their 20’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and I always ask, why?
Why should you be that?
Do you even want to be that?
Or do you just want to follow this notion, this concept that was embedded in you on how you should be at a specific moment in time? Think about it.
Why should you be partying in your 20s? Why should you be settling down and getting married in your 30s? Why shouldn’t you be changing careers in your 40s? Why shouldn’t you start a business in your 50s? Why should you retire in your 60s?
Why do you accept these as facts?
Why do you not wish to defy them?
Why would you limit yourself with these concepts?
Here’s the thing - all these are impositions on you by society. They are not real and they’ll only be if you let it.
There is NO should. There’s only what YOU tell yourself.
Now tell me, what you ARE doing and what you WILL be doing. Not what you should be doing.
