Ageing

Photography by Danielle Ann Rose @bydanielleannrose

Ageing can be scary, feeling like you need to have it all figured out, comparing your achievements, successes and milestones with other people, and feeling like you’re running out of time to do the things you want to do, but the truth is no one ever really has it figured out, and if we had it all figured out at 25 and we never changed after that, the rest of our lives would probably be really boring. The fact that we are constantly growing, changing and evolving is what gives life the magic that it has

At one point or another, we may feel as though we’ve worked out what makes us happy and fulfilled, but as humans do, we change our minds and outgrow what we know. As long as we continue to listen to our hearts and go with the flow of life, it’s a really beautiful experience to age

My incredible partner Tyson is turning 30 today and that brought both of our awareness to what we have and haven’t done yet. We’ve celebrated many, many birthdays together but this one just feels different. Luckily, we both came to the realisation that this is a really exciting opportunity to look at life through a different lens. We are entering a period of time in our lives where life is going to start changing rapidly, almost so much that it’ll feel like life is only just now beginning

In our 30s we will more than likely get married, have kids, buy a house etc, etc all the main “adult milestones” that society loves to stress people out about and that is simultaneously terrifying and exciting, but the only way to approach something like this is with an open heart and an open mind

Since we’ve been talking about this, turning 30 is something I’ve switched my mindset to now be excited about. What a beautiful, unique and multifaceted life I have lived up until now. I can’t wait to meet the versions of me I will be when I’m 30, 40, 50, 60, or even 100 however old I am fortunate enough to live to

I’ve heard people say that your 30s are the best years of your life which makes me actually want to be in my 30s. I think regardless of what may be present for me when that time comes, this mindset is going to help me look at ageing in an optimistic light

I am learning to accept and embrace that life will always be ebbing and flowing. Nothing is permanent, everything is temporary and what a gift that is. It helps me to remain grateful and let things go when the time is right. We cannot hold on too tight to things that are no longer meant for us and I think one of those things is a certain age. Mentally I think I’m 23-25 but that’s not the case and holding onto that time in my life, rather than being present or working towards the future, could be detrimental to my current and future experiences

I feel like being in my 30s and older is going to be great because I’ll have a much stronger idea of who I am as a person and will be able to live life with a much healthier mindset than I did in my 20s and younger. No doubt I’ll face just as many ups and downs, but I’ll be more equipped to handle the things that life throws at me

Growing older and feeling a stronger sense of self is cool because I feel like we always think we’re self-aware and know a lot but then time moves forward and we are continuously proving to ourselves how little we really knew before. With this in mind, I’m so intrigued to meet the future me and find out what new lessons and experiences help shape who that is

Ageing is a beautiful invitation to love and embrace who we truly are. If part of us is scared of ageing, for whatever reason that may be, it presents us with an opportunity to look deeper within and figure out where that fear comes from and face off with it. When we can do that, we can begin to feel free to age with grace and contentment, rather than resistance and fear