Dove currently have this “How Old Are You” campaign to empower women who are ashamed of their age. Woman happily state their age when they were younger but as they grow older, they tend to conceal their age. Someone told me before that asking a woman’s age is a rude thing to do. Hmmmm…. Why?

Two days ago, I celebrated my birthday. I find myself nowadays shying away when someone ask my age. I would just give them a smile or say “Secret”. Bu at times when my patients would ask my age, I would happily say it and see the surprise look in their face. I am often mistaken to be younger than my real age because of my smallish size. But declaring my age to my patients has a reason. Being older as  physician is better than being mistaken to be younger. A young doctor would sometimes mean inexperience and still very green. But in other aspects and most often than not, I would often conceal my age to my younger colleagues, who might stop hanging out with me once they know I am not in their generation (Oh Grandma is coming) or my husband’s circle because I am older than him & that still makes me a tad bit conscious of that fact.

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But I realized that my present “old” self is light-years way better than my past “young” self. My past self would be so proud of what I have become today. I have overcame many obstacles, reached goals I have set for myself and blossomed into a more confident & positive person. And these things didn’t come easily. Time was on my side as I grew slowly into the person I destined to be. That is why aging is beautiful, I realized. I learned as I aged through the experiences I have encountered. I realized that my younger self was very immature, fearful, negative and insecure. I wish to tell her that life is better lived if we explore more of God’s wonderful surprises with an open and positive heart. I am happy to tell her that the secret goals she listed on her notebook all was reached and even more. I guess youth is beautiful but aging too have its wonderful benefits. As we grow older, we become sweeter and more precious like a perfectly aged wine. I was glad I met my husband a bit later and got married and had a baby much later than most of my contemporaries. I get to appreciate it with a grateful heart more at this age. I learn now what to value more, when to say ‘No’ and how to be gentle with my expectation towards myself. Getting older also doesn’t mean that I turn to be a serious grouchy toad. For those who learned from their experiences and opens to what life’s obstacles may bring, your spirit may even get lighter and younger and carefree. Because you know that life is not an enemy as you thought it was in your twenties, you develop a childlike approach towards life and a reassuring knowledge that life will always turn out okay in the end. So aging is not that bad nor it is something to be ashamed about. Aging rocks! Right, mga lolos and lolas? I will now set new goals for my future self. I am excited what life may bring as I grow older. My future self might find me silly now because for thinking that I am so mature and accomplished when I have yet more life lessons  to learn along the way. By the way, I am thirty-five.

Happy Birthdays to all November babies out there like me… Come, explore life surprises with me…..