I don’t think I have ever done a social media challenge. I’ve never done one of those viral games, name tests, personality quizzes, “what would you look like as a cartoon,” “what would you look like with a different hair color,” “load 9 pics of yourself and tag 10 other women to do the same” challenges, nothing. For no particular reason… well some are kind of irritating, but overall for no particular reason except for maybe they just have never really piqued my interest.
Now there is this new one. The how hard did aging hit you challenge. I guess it was originally intended for Facebook, but it’s been trending on Instagram and Twitter as well. For those not familiar (and please do correct me if I am wrong), the challenge was to post your first ever profile picture (which for many was ten years or so ago) and your most recent profile picture side-by-side to compare how much you have changed. So for days now, our timelines have been a trip down memory lane.
Overall from what I’ve seen, the past decade has been kind to many, as far as physical appearance goes anyway. And just as we all hoped we are aging gracefully. I suspect if we weren’t proud of how much “better” we have become with time, we wouldn’t be as eager to share the lapse and this challenge would not be so viral. Some of us are slimmer, some us have packed on a few pounds (hand raised), our hair is different, our eyebrows are thicker (thank God), and of course our style has evolved (though some of my ten-year-old clothes, shoes, and jewelry still go hard). Some of our comparison pics reveal that we are more maturely aware of our appearance. Probably in part because of social media. And there is also the argument that maybe 10 years is too short of a time to see such a drastic transition of aging, especially when you are in your prime anyway. A couple of days ago I had a friend post, “It wasn’t that long ago, ya’ll look the same. Can we all stop now? Thanks, Management” I love her, **insert crying laughing face emoji**.
No I didn’t indulge in the challenge. I haven’t posted a comparison picture. I mean, I think I fall in the same boat as most. I basically look the same, subjectively better even **insert blushed smiling face emoji**. Sure I have a few pounds to lose, but I took a head shot last weekend and I can look at it and feel good about how I am physically aging. What’s been bothering me more over the past few weeks is, have I aged gracefully in other areas (vocationally, mentally, spiritually, financially)? Am I where I thought I would be? Should I be further in those areas? Brian and I were talking about this the other night as I was gleaming with respect for Lauren Underwood, the youngest black women to be elected to Congress. Me to Brian, “She is black. She is a woman. She is a nurse. She graduated from UofM. She is in her thirties. She is me!! …She is younger than me …she just inspired me to think outside of the outside of the box with my career. …I have the capacity for more…” Brian’s response, “We both do. We both have work to do this year.”
Ten years ago I was 25 years old. I was working on my Master’s part-time at University of Detroit Mercy to be a nurse practitioner. I was working full-time as a RN at Karmanos Cancer hospital in Detroit, making $60K a year. I was doing a lot of driving from Ann Arbor to Detroit that year. I had a 2006 Nissan Altima. It was the first brand new car I owned. I was four years into my marriage, still honeymooning, with no thoughts of having children yet. Brian and I lived in a condo, not too far from where we live now. We went to Maui in 2009. Brian claims it is his favorite vacation we’ve ever taken. Mine not so much. I still have PTSD from our excursion up Haleakala. It was a good year though. The next ten years? A whirlwind of ups, downs, gains, losses, and lessons.
I was listening to, my new favorite podcast, Poppin off with Phil, **eye winkie emoji** this morning talking about this “how hard did aging hit you” challenge. He was asking questions like what would you tell your younger self from ten years ago? Do you think you’ve made some major changes? Are there things about you that you miss, that you wish you would have held on to? Are there things you still are holding on to that you need to let go? How did age hit you, not just your physicality but your mentality and spirituality?
Well Phil, I think I would tell my 25-year-old self to think, plan and prepare even bigger, try to escape mediocrity like it’s lethal to you. The Haleakala is climbable and time is going to escape you whether you take the trek or not. I would tell myself to read more, learn more, pray more and then pray some more. In fact, I would tell myself to never ever stop praying. Be better. I would warn my younger self that life is going to be hard, really hard, really really hard at moments over the next ten years, but you are going to survive it all. I think that is what I would say to start.
Sometimes I miss my innocence and naivety because it made me a little more peaceful and fearless, not so jaded with certain things. I prefer the knowledge and insight I’ve gained over the years though. And I think I still have a little bit of my former self with that so. I definitely miss my former waistline! Ugh.
I transparently confess, I think I was more spiritually hungry at age 25. I’ve been trying to make my way back to that level of hunger for spiritual growth. Lord please take me back… Yes, there may be a few things, hurts, I am subconsciously holding on to that I need to relinquish and I am still working through that too.
I’ve honestly been thinking long and hard about what I want 2029 to look like, what I want (age) 45 to look like. As far as the physical, I’m hoping to join the age defying ranks of women like Angela Bassett. Thanks to my mom and dad and their blessed genes I think I have a chance. With the vocational, spiritual, mental, and financial aging, I am taking the advice that I would have given my younger self. Think, plan, and prepare even bigger…! Read, learn, and pray more. Never stop praying. Be better.
Maybe I should time capsule this post **insert thinking face emoji**! Let’s keep living our absolute best lives! Xo
Photo credit: Dan Lippitt
