12.20.21 // The Best Years are Ahead

"To live like the best years are ahead of me."
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I received a note the other day that had this line in it and I can't stop thinking about it.
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Such a simple line, but the implications are heavy-hitting and perspective-shifting.
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The woman who sent me that note was in her 60s and spent decades working in a stressful job. But since retiring she has done things she "never thought she would..." Solo traveling, working a job she feels authentically connecting to, concentrating on mental, physical, and spiritual health. This woman is an icon in using the present moment to live her best damn life.
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I think historically in western culture there is an emphasis on youth and limiting change as one get older. I know both my parents have stories built on this culturally pushed narrative. For example, my dad stayed in unhappy work until later in life where he finally jumped ship only to find his dream career (and now he struggling to retire because he loves his job too much). But he stayed at his longtime job for way too many years because it "made sense."
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The next generation is changing this. We fiercely follow our truths, but I still see age as a factor limiting people from trying something new. With responsibilities as a valid excuse, the stakes are higher but the rewards are just as high.
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So while the fear of failure becomes more intense when we can rest on the shoulders of our successes, if we lived knowing the best years are yet to come, maybe we would follow our hearts with a little more ease?