Illustration by Charlotte Hattrell
Age is but a number
as the old saying goes,
it is meant to bring some solace
when the grey hair starts to show.
But it really isn’t definite
and is different to us all,
and I can’t seem to see
where I fit in with it at all.
We measure life in milestones
like eighteen and twenty-one,
have I completed the checklist
and ticked off all I’ve done?
Success is often measured
by the years gone by,
do we have a job yet, are we married,
or just living on the fly?
We’re judged to be a failure
if we’re not at the same stage,
but why measure us the same
just because we are the same age?
Some of us are parents,
some are unemployed,
some seem to be doing just fine
whilst others are lost in a void.
I don’t know where I fit in here,
in this funny uncertain time,
between childhood and adulthood,
supposedly in my prime.
Some days I feel okay about it,
happy with where I’m at,
enjoying life at home,
not a corporate copycat.
But some days I just panic.
Is my time running out?
Questioning my choices,
my head so full of doubt.
But if age is really just a number,
you can’t let it get you down.
Sometimes society will box you in,
but just take a breath – slow down.
Some years will pass you by
with no change at all,
others will be revolutionary,
but remember, it is all your call.