Who likes to age? I guess if answering this question honestly, every child out there likes to age because they are anxious to get to the next stepping stone. Anyway, once you finish college you realize life is just passing you by and it seems to go by so quickly that you sometimes cannot keep up. I find this especially true if you live in a bigger city such as D.C. I do not have the answers on how to deal with aging, but I do have suggestions that has helped me tremendously.

When I got to age 22 or 23 and I was working full time plus going to school full time, I realized that I was not making time for myself. All I was doing was working, school, and homework. I rarely even stopped to eat during the day until my lunch break at work. I just was on the go constantly.  

Then one day it hit me, I was not getting in younger. In fact, all I was doing was getting older. I had no boyfriend and no life to speak of outside of work and school. I thought my chances of having children were over because who wants children in their thirties? This only made me get into my work and the school even more than I already was. I took on a management position with my job and continued my full-time status at school. I was working my way up.  

But then out of nowhere came my life and suddenly none of what I had been working towards mattered anymore. I mean life hit me at full force. I met my husband when I was 24. He made me stop and smell the roses and not to take life for granted. Which I never really did take life for granted, I am one who believes life is too short but he made me see things more clearly than I ever had before.  

I was married by the age of 26 and we were expecting our first little one. My life goals changed. I became more none caring of what others thought about me and my life and choose to just live life to the fullest. I did finish schooling but quickly resigned from my job because it was just dragging me down. People were so negative there that it was truly putting me in a negative mood.  

Soon after having our first little one, we moved eight hours away from my family and in with his grandmother because of where I found a job. Moving away from my family and into a city helped me grow up even more than I already had. I saw life at its fullest and it was truly amazing.  

Literally just eight months after moving in with his family, I put in for a transfer with my job and we again moved eight hours away from family. Only this time we moved eight hours away from both of our families and friends. This was the best decision we have ever made. Now we have the perfect home with two children and a dog.  

Now let me help you to understand how to deal with aging. Aging is a natural process that occurs in everyone and everything. If you take care of a flower it lasts for years to come but if you stop watering it then it dies. Humans are kind of the same way. If you stop watering yourself with life then you will slowly die.  

My advice here goes out to every age group. The first and most important step in dealing with the aging process is to take opportunities as they arise. You never know what God’s plan is and if you are too afraid to try something new then what is the point in living? Be adventurous and take risks. Life is too short to just sit around doing the same old same old.  

The second most important advice I can give you is do not work your life away. Our saying goes do not live to work but work to live. Meaning take those vacations with the family, take the kids out to the park, go out on dates, do something other than work. None of these things have to be expensive. We take a vacation at least once a year and we never spend over 2,000 dollars to do it. You do not have to spend a lot to have fun. A vacation could be going someplace and just camping out. It does not have to be extravagant just go exploring.   

If you feel that your life is full of purpose you will not feel as though your life is passing you by. Remember, it is not the things in life that you have that matters but the impression you leave on those that are still here on Earth.  

I know this is said way too often, but live like today is your last day. Remember that we are not guaranteed tomorrow no matter how old we are. In today’s world, we sometimes get caught up in the future and what possibly could happen. Just stop! Do not get caught up in today but instead live for today.  

When you start living for today instead of living for the future or even living in the past, you will see blessings unfold right before your eyes. You will see the beauty in things and life will become whole for you. Stop being in a rush to get to the next place and stop to smell the roses. Believe me, as a parent of two I understand how difficult this is, but just stop thinking of how difficult it is and do it.  

When I was working in a big city and I would have to be at work at six in the morning, I knew that my family would be sleeping no matter if I was there or not. So, I would sometimes get up early and go down to the city and just walk around before anyone else was stirring in the city. What beauty D.C. is in the early morning without the crowds. I would go to one of the many Starbucks and grab a drink and just sit outside watching the fog lift, listening to the bird's chirp. Make time for the small things and life will not pass you by which will, in turn, make you forget you are aging. I feel as young as ever and I am rounding the corner to 30.  

You may also like my post about working in a nursing home.