Aging is an extraordinary process where you become the person you always should have been.

David bowie

Lately, I’ve found myself looking back more often. Is it normal to miss the past? To wonder if life was somehow lighter back then? Less stressful. Less hurried. As if there was simply… more time.

Sometimes I wonder whether I’ve changed, or whether time itself has started moving faster.

There are days when I long for a slower pace. A moment to breathe. A chance to wander without constantly looking at the clock.

As we grow older, we collect more than birthdays. We collect experiences, opinions, expectations—and labels. Some are our own, shaped by the lives we’ve lived. Others are created by people who barely know us.

When I was younger, life felt wonderfully fluid. I lived in different places, travelled to new countries, embraced the unknown, and followed curiosity wherever it led. Being adventurous was celebrated. Being unconventional was part of discovering who you were.

Somewhere along the way, that changes.

As a middle-aged woman, it can feel as though people have already decided who you are before you’ve even spoken. They place you neatly into a box, frame you in a picture that suits their story rather than yours. The independent woman becomes “difficult.” The outspoken woman becomes “too much.” The unconventional woman becomes the old witch.

History has a habit of repeating itself.

Some songs capture emotions better than words ever can. “Had a Dream (Sleeping With the Enemy)” reminds me of what it feels like when people create a version of you that has little to do with who you really are.

We no longer hold witch trials, but we still create stories about people. We judge, we gossip, we condemn—often without ever taking the time to have a genuine conversation with the person behind the rumours. It is easier to believe a narrative than to seek the truth.

Yet age should never determine whether someone’s voice deserves to be heard.

Youth has its beauty, energy and endless possibilities. But age brings something just as valuable: perspective, resilience, wisdom and knowledge earned through living.

Aging isn’t about becoming less. It’s about becoming more fully yourself, even when the world prefers simpler versions of who you are.