45 is the new 30

It's my birthday today -- and I'm obviously not shy about my age. Of course, that might be because I've never really felt old. Actually, I feel younger as I get older. When I was younger, I felt like I carried all the burdens of the world on my shoulders. Then, as I got older, I realized that there were many things I had no power to do anything about. I couldn't end the nuclear arms race or cure cancer.

Knowing there is very little I have control over is extremely liberating. It turns out that all I can do is to leave this world kinder and cleaner than I found it. Just like in Girl Scouts.




I'm thinking about this because today is the 7th anniversary of 9/11. To Americans, no explanation is necessary -- my birthdate is shorthand for terrorism and tragedy. The media headlines at the time screamed, "should we be more scared?" as if fear could somehow prevent another tragedy. When I truly realized that I had no control over what terrorists in another country (or my own) choose to do, my fear dissolved.

All I can do is leave my little corner of the world a little kinder than I found it.





-- Post From My iPhone