There comes a point in life when something magical happens.
You wake up one morning, look in the mirror, notice a new chin hair, a mysterious ache in your left hip, and a wrinkle that definitely wasn't there yesterday...
And instead of having a complete emotional breakdown...
You think: "Eh."
It's one of the unexpected gifts of getting older.
You simply stop giving a duck.
Not about everything.
Just about the things that never deserved so much of your energy in the first place.
When I was younger, I worried about all kinds of things.
Was I too much?
Not enough?
Too loud?
Did people like me?
Did I say the right thing?
The older I get, the more I realize most people aren't thinking about me nearly as much as I imagined.
They're busy worrying about themselves.
Just like I was.
What a colossal waste of perfectly good anxiety.
The older I get, the more I realize peace doesn't come from getting everyone's approval. It comes from finally giving yourself your own.
You stop explaining why you don't want to go out.
You stop pretending you're excited about things that sound exhausting.
You stop squeezing yourself into places, friendships, clothes, expectations, and conversations that no longer fit.
And that peace?
It's priceless.
Of course, let's not get carried away.
I still occasionally fall right back into my old habits.
Someone doesn't return a text.
My brain immediately creates a twelve-part Netflix documentary about what I did wrong.
A friend seems distant.
Suddenly, I'm replaying conversations from three years ago like I'm reviewing security footage.
So no, wisdom doesn't arrive and magically erase decades of people-pleasing and overthinking.
It just gives you better tools.
You catch yourself sooner.
You laugh at yourself faster.
You remember that not every thought deserves a committee meeting.
At this age, I'd rather save my energy for things that matter.
Like finding my phone.
Which is usually in my hand.
The truth is, getting older isn't just about wrinkles, readers, and discussing fiber supplements with alarming enthusiasm.
It's also about freedom.
Freedom to be yourself.
Freedom to make mistakes.
Freedom to forgive yourself.
Freedom to stop auditioning for a role you were never meant to play.
And freedom to float through life in your giant duck tube thinking:
"I am who I am."
And if someone doesn't like it?
Well...
I don't give a duck.
❤️ joey
