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The Energy of You Volume XX Issue #18

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Hi Reader,

I celebrated my 60th birthday a little over a year and a half ago.

In the months leading up to it, something shifted—not all at once, but gradually. I kept thinking: This is the beginning of the end. Things are supposed to slow down now. And without realizing it, I started shrinking.

A couple of new opportunities came up in my business, but I let them quietly wither. I stopped taking new art classes. I turned down social invitations. Nothing dramatic—just a slow pulling back.

Fast forward to a quick weekend getaway for some mid-year business planning. I was sipping coffee and reviewing the past six months when I noticed something that hit me hard:

My calendar was wide open.

No classes.
No workshops to teach.
No upcoming trips.
Very little time with friends.

I asked myself: Why?

So I journaled. And walked on the beach. Thinking and feeling. For hours.

This is what I uncovered:

I had unconsciously bought into a version of aging that told me to slow down.

To expect less.

To contract.

To be invisible.

That dreaming was for the young.

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We grow up in a culture that glorifies youth. The messages are subtle and constant. Eventually, they start shaping our choices, not with a loud command, but with a whisper that sounds like our own voice:

Maybe this is too much.
Maybe I’ve had my time.
Maybe I should step aside.

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That’s the sneaky part of age bias. It gets internalized. And then it shows up in a thousand small ways.

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Like saying no when you mean yes.
Or yes, when you mean no.
Like shelving dreams that still tickle your toes.
Like shrinking out of your own life, bit by bit.

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But here’s what I know:

I get to write my own story. At some point, the clock stops ticking for all of us; we don't know when. When we start getting closer to the end than the beginning, it hits differently. Being present and living each day fully(however that looks for you) makes for a meaningful life.

And this next chapter?
It’s not about shrinking.
It’s about expanding, experiencing, and following curiosity.

The truth is:

We might need to change how we do things.

We might need to adapt to new methods.

We’ve done that our whole lives, so why would it be any different now?

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​ Where might you be shrinking without realizing it? What would it look like to take up a little more space this week?

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Be Inspired,

Cathy

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