i've struggled to find something to write about recently. actually, i've struggled with narrowing down something to write about. there are so many thoughts in my head and many half-written blogs in the drafts folder.
something that has been rolling through my mind for a last few days has been this thought about 30-something single women and this feeling that, because we are single, that life hasn't started for us yet. at the gym the other day, in small talk, my career became a topic of conversation. as i discussed the steps i took and things i had done, the woman replied "i wish i had done that before, you know, my life started". she's not the first person to say that to me, and neither has this feeling that i'm living some interim and not a life, been felt.
the expectation that women become wives and mothers, and that's when life begins and ends, is severely limiting to all us, because we see so much more for ourselves. my life started way back in 1982, and isn't over until i'm called away. and i want to make the most of the in between, the part that really matters. as harmless as comments like that are, it's damaging to the successes that i have had and it minimizes the belief in yourself to do more. being a wife and mother is not the expectation of our lives. and the wonderful thing about us is that we can do it all. life doesn't start at this one point, or one accomplishment. we can be wives, mothers, career-driven, creative, passionate, inspiring, forceful, commanding, assertive and many other things all at one time. we all have steps to take, lives to lead, and ideas to share. my choice to travel and do work i'm really passionate about; it's important to me. there are steps in life that i have purposely avoided, as i didn't want the distraction or to wait for things. now that may not be the steps other people chose, and that's completely okay.
the moral of the story? life is what you make it and we all follow different paths between birth and death. the steps i have taken, were deliberate and risky, and quite possibly irresponsible, and i own that. owning and appreciating this wondrous life we have gotten to live, is the best step we can take towards making the world a better place. the world needs more people that are alive, passionate, and willing to take chances, no matter the circumstance.