What Nobody Tells You About Turning 70

I’m turning 70 this month. My birthday is November 25.

And I find myself saying it constantly: nobody told us it was gonna be like this as we get older.

Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t want to be any other age.

But nobody told us about the health conditions. This fall, for me, that meant eye surgery, after a six-month journey and two starts and stops.

Nobody told us about constantly needing to learn new things to stay relevant, visible, and valued.

And yet, when I came back to work after my surgery, I had two appointments already scheduled with me. Two people who needed support, and they knew I would be the one to help them.

When I came back after my surgery, I was fearful about starting up again with the blogs. I felt like I had lost my mojo or something.

Then I sat down and started writing blogs with Claude. We got the first one under my belt, and I’m feeling like maybe there’s nothing to be fearful about.

Sometimes you just have to have a little faith.

Here’s something I didn’t expect. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been fortunate to welcome some amazing women into my life, and they have blossomed into friendships that wouldn’t have happened in my younger years. I was too busy being busy.

Relationships matter much more to me now.

And here’s something else nobody told us, or maybe some of us were told the opposite. When women see other women persevering, we do cheer each other on.

That’s the space I want to be in.

Nobody told us it was gonna be like this. But I wouldn’t want to be any other age, and I wouldn’t want to be here without the women who cheer me on.

Who do you have in your life that cheers you on?

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