Here for this week’s Tarot for Change book club discussion? Join in the conversation about Strength through Temperance in the major arcana.
I turn 34 today.
In the weeks leading up to my birthday, I didn’t feel any sort of way about this particular number. 34 isn’t a milestone birthday in the traditional sense; it’s just shy of 35 and decidedly removed from 30. 34 feels like the oversized denim shirt I often throw on over outfits: it serves a purpose, but it’s unremarkable. It’s just sort of…there.
Truthfully, I don’t think about my age a lot. When you’re surrounded by teenagers all day like I am in my job as a teacher, you become whatever age you need to be in the moment: I can channel a goofy 12 year old who laughs at TikToks just as easily as I can slip into the role of a 40-something mom who needs to reign things back in.
My students often try to guess how old I am, and they’re usually wrong. Their answers run the gamut from mid-20s (those kids got automatic As) to late 30s. I take this struggle to pinpoint my age as a compliment: agelessness is something I aspire towards. To me, to release the need to do things according to your age means that I have given myself the gift of authenticity. I can reinvent myself whenever I please, and it’s never too late. I like to think that this permission to stop putting a number on things helps me keep a youthful spirit.
As I enter my 34th year, I decided to write a list in celebration of the ways I’ve chosen not to “act my age.” Choosing to live life on my terms is a form of everyday magic that I know will, without a doubt, age well.
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