Today, I am 65.
You have no idea how long I’ve debated about whether or not to speak those words out loud.
Well, maybe you do. Maybe you also have mixed feelings about naming and claiming your age.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m supremely grateful to be 65. There are many who are not given that privilege.
But as much as I want to feel ageless and cageless entering this next stage of my life, there are so many mental constructs that get in the way.
We still live in a culture where aging men are considered “distinguished” and aging women feel diminished.
By sharing my truth, I’m hoping to help change that story.
Mirror aside, I feel the youngest and most energized I’ve ever felt.
Like the dragonfly who spends most of her life, crawling in the muck at the bottom of the pond, I am rising up and spreading my wings later in life.
Next month, I am becoming a first-time published author at 65, launching my transformative book, From Muck To Magic.
But instead of celebrating, there’s a civil war raging inside of me.
The joy of new adventures and possibilities is being obliterated by a demeaning chorus of “You’re-Too- Old,” “It’s-Too-Late” and “What-Took-You-So-Long.”
The other day, those voices in my head got so loud, I felt paralyzed with fear.
Thankfully, I found some peace while meditating. And connected to the wiser, kinder Voice of My Heart.
I believe her message is for all of us:
A call to rise.
In the beginning, it was the older women who were the leaders of society.
The Wise Women, Medicine Women and Crones were the cornerstone of power and vision. Gathering in circles, they shared their wisdom, their truth and their gifts.
The patriarchs who rose up in their shadows, feared the power of older women. And created a myth—that if we are not young, nubile and of childbearing age, we are worth nothing.
So many of us have internalized that lie. We feel invisible, unseen and undervalued as we age.
As with all things, the change must be internal. We can’t expect the external world to see our value, our worth and our beauty unless we recognize it within ourselves.
Now is the time to give ourselves permission to bring our true colors out into the world. Our true wisdom, Our true gifts. Our authentic and powerful truth.
Let’s become the heroines of our own story.
We were born for this time.
Let the magic begin.
Today, I proudly celebrate my 65th birthday.
It is my deepest hope that the words I share here will help you see The Beauty and The Light Of All That You Are. At any and every age.
If you feel called, I invite you to add your voice to my blog in the comment section below.
When one of us speaks our truth, it sets us all free
With wings of love,
xoWendi
P.S. Thank you for being on this journey with me. Your loving support gives me the courage to share so deeply. If this speaks to you, feel free to pay it forward.
Happy Birthday! It is time for us to reclaim our beauty,our wisdom, our magic,our gifts with grace. I love the dragonflies showing us the way.
Yes, Colleen….the dragonflies have a powerful paradigm-shifting message for us. Thank you for reaching out. With wings of gratitude, Wendi
Happy Birthday, you gorgeous dragonfly and goddess, Wendi! As I age, and look in the mirror at new wrinkles, I look at you and am so inspired that with age comes even a deeper beauty, from the inside out. And you are glowing, my friend!
Beautiful, Wendy! I’m sixty and I feel the voices talking to me as well. “You’re too old to start anything, it’s taken too long! You’ve lost opportunities and chances. Your life is almost over and you STILL don’t know who you are.” It certainly doesn’t help when I’m lying here in bed, hacking away for the last week, snotty kleenex’s piled high, looking at life through my bedroom window. But we both know the voices aren’t real,and that it’s a never ending journey. We are always growing, developing and unfolding. That’s really the magic, isn’t it? Congratulations on your unfolding. What a privilege it is to be here … at any age! ❤️Lisa Luckenbach
Lisa, I so appreciate your honesty and willingness to share your truth. We all think everyone else has it “all together.” It’s such a relief and joy to have this honest discourse and to help each other rise up from the cultural baggage. Sending you so much love and gratitude for being magical you.
and HAPPY BIRTHDAY, gorgeous YOU!
Happy Birthday Wendi!!! You are such a wonderful role model. I so appreciate our wisdom and your call to rise. The message from the Voice of Your Heart resonated deeply with me. Let the magic begin! I’m so proud of you for shining your bright colors for all to see so we may remember that “In the beginning, it was the older women who were the leaders of society.” With love, Tabby
Tabby, this means so much to me. It wasn’t easy to share this. I freaked out a bit after pushing the send button.
But then, I realized that “numbers” are just another way that we diminish and demean the fullness of who we are.
And why shouldn’t we be proud of our ages and the stages that we are at.After all, it’s the truth that sets us free.
With so much love and gratitude, Wendi
Happy Birthday Wendi!!!! You are queen dragonfly. I love that you connect to Dragonfly, i connect to Dragon; dragon in all forms is the fire, the spark!!! Shine on sis thanks for your lovely newsletter I always look forward to it. bliss and love
Lisa~Ann
Lisa, I so appreciate you reaching out. Yes, our totems are definitely connected.I feel “fired up” to raise our voices
and bring our light out into the world. It’s such a blessing to know we are all in this together. With wings of gratitude, Wendi
Happy Happy Birthday Wendi.
Your light is shining brightly in this new stage of life. And I truly appreciate all your guiding words of wisdom. Enjoy that gentler kinder inner voice that has come with experience. And I’d like you to know that we are so fortunate that you’re sharing it with us.
Than you.
Lara, your message really touches my heart. I deliberated quite a bit about writing this. Your loving, supportive reply here confirms that I did the right thing. Thanks for dragonflying with me, xoxoWendi
Happy Birthday!!!! I just turned 65 too, only it was last month. I’m not used to saying this age yet and dislike the senior citizen label as I don’t feel anywhere near my age! Some attitudes/ideas about what it’s like to be ‘senior’ need changing in society as there are some really out-dated notions of seniors still floating around.
Wendi!
Gorgeous work! I have a great feeling that we can become very helpful strategic partners for one another. We are flying in complete alignment and that is sooo inspirational and fun! Looking forward to our BoomGoddess recording tomorrow, the 5 of December. It will be an injection of fantastic flying fuel all around!
Much admiration,
Dr. A n d r e a of Boom Goddess Radio
Thank you, Andrea. I felt an instant click—like we’ve been soul sisters forever.And now that I had the chance to talk to you and the other BoomGoddesses, I am beyond grateful that my intuition flew me in your direction. Big love, Wendi