I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much life changes as we get older. I think this happens to all of us, especially once you get past that 50-year mark. In a recent episode of The Fort NOT Lost in the Woods Podcast, I interviewed successful, self-made businesswoman Lisa Ellis Owner/Broker of NextHome Team Ellis. We talked about how life changes as you get older, not just the obvious things, but the bigger changes…like priorities. The things we once thought were important somehow become less so, and the things we barely noticed or never even thought about when we were younger, suddenly seem like the best parts of life.
When we’re young, I think we spend a lot of time trying to get somewhere. Maybe it’s a bigger house, a better job, more money. More success. More excitement. We want to travel farther, experience more and make sure we’re not missing out on anything. I guess there’s nothing wrong with that. Ambition and dreams are good things. There are seasons in life when hustling, working hard and chasing something bigger is exactly what we need to do. But eventually, if we’re lucky, something changes. Sometimes it’s because we’ve succeeded enough to realize that the thing we thought would make us happy didn’t quite do it. What does do it? Peace. Time. A slower pace. And when you get to that point, suddenly that little town we used to think was boring starts to look pretty good. In a rural community, you might not have a hundred restaurants to choose from…..but you know the people who own the restaurant you’re sitting in. You might not have a giant shopping district with every store imaginable…. but you know the person behind the counter at the local shop.
There is something really nice about supporting a local business and knowing your money isn’t just disappearing into some giant corporation somewhere. It is helping someone pay their employees, keep their doors open and most likely be distributed back into the community through fundraisers, local purchases and of course…taxes.
I think getting older has a funny way of changing our definition of happiness. When you’re younger, happiness might mean a packed weekend, a big trip or something completely spontaneous. Now…..Happiness means a hug from my mom, an “I love you” from a grandchild, a soft nicker from my horse, or even simpler yet….happiness is just having nowhere I HAVE to be right now. For me, that isn’t boring. Maybe it’s wisdom. Maybe it’s learning the difference between being busy and actually living…. or realizing that contentment is not the same thing as settling. I think contentment means you don’t have to constantly convince yourself that the next thing will finally make everything better. It means you can enjoy today. Enjoy the simple house, the smell of fresh cut grass, a loyal dog at your feet, the local coffee shop, the quiet evening on the porch. Enjoy……all of it, not just the big things.
Perhaps my favorite thing about getting older is letting go of some of the things I thought I HAD to hold onto. I don’t need to impress anyone. I don’t need to say yes to everything. I don’t need to be everywhere. I just need to breathe. And living in a rural area makes that easier in ways I didn’t always appreciate. Places like our home here in Mid Missouri get labeled as “lost in the woods” but I’m beginning to see that “lost” in these quiet, beautiful woods is exactly where I need to be. Growing older is about finally figuring out what is worth having and seeing that you’re not lost in the woods after all. In fact, maybe you’ve finally found your way home.