Aimee
How are you feeling today?
I’m feeling tender and heavy-hearted with all that is happening in the world.
What are you most proud of?
My tender heart. My resilience. My business.
What is your biggest learning in life so far?
That there is nothing external that is going to make me feel okay with who I am. I’ve learned that it’s an inside job and I have to find my own acceptance and healing instead of looking outside for approval or achievement to find my worth. This healing has been possible through self-care, meditation, and lots of personal growth work for me. The only way out is through. We must find a way to sit with the discomfort to move through and get to the other side of our hardships.
What are your hopes for the future?
To continue to feel more and more comfortable in my own skin. I’m 45 now and think my 40’s are the best decade so far. I love that I feel more like myself and more comfortable being myself with every passing year.
I want to do more traveling and explore new places. I also want to have more time to write.
What would you tell your younger self?
You will feel left behind. You will feel so much pain that you will want to die but you will survive it. You will feel like something is missing or even wrong with you. Others will also make you feel that way too, even people you love. Forgive some of them and let some of them go.
And you are okay exactly as you are. You don’t need anything or anyone to complete you. You will have hard, hard times and reach the depths of despair and longing but you will rise up from them and find within yourself a sense of peace and contentment that you never imagined possible. Your life will look nothing like you expected it would and it will be beautiful. And you will find your people.
When or where are you happiest?
Those first moments when a wave comes in and touches my toes. The first bite of something sweet and decadent. Getting to see a new place for the first time. Browsing through an old bookshop. And just being at home with a cup of tea and some chocolate, watching a movie with my partner. And the quiet moments that I have when I’m alone just being me and definitely when I’m meditating or giving myself reiki.
What would you like to say to wider society?
Keep inviting childless people to your gatherings. Keep inviting single people to your gatherings. Find ways to honor and celebrate our unique paths however different they may feel. Try not to pity us, there is nothing wrong with us. Our path is still beautiful even though we didn’t get to or choose to do one of the things you were able to do. Know that we still understand and feel love deeply even if we didn’t become parents.