[image error]A few days ago I read a novel and the passage “Too late, the saddest words in any language…” made me take notice and ponder on their meaning. “Too late”…especially when we get older, can cover a large number of regrets about things we did and those we didn’t do.

However, it seems to be pretty futile to agonize about all those missed opportunities now, at the sunset years of one’s life.

By going over past deeds or non-deeds that still cause an emotional sting, we have the opportunity to check: is it really too late? Or are we hiding behind outdated conventions? Is there nothing to look forward to when you are retired?

Especially being a mother, it might appear that there is not much to look forward to when we realize that we are but an observer on the sidelines of our children’s lives. When children have been the centre of our lives, and even the smallest, minute decision was weighed on whether it suited the kids, it might be hard to realize that we are no longer the centre of their lives. Their lives centre on their budding family or their blooming career, not their aging parent.

We have to re-invent our lives and find new meaning that makes it worthwhile to get up in the morning. Stretch the boundaries, dare to be daring, venture out into the unknown. Is it really too late?–or are we hiding behind our fears, fears that have become trusted friends in the decades of living within self-imposed restrictions?

I don’t know about you, but I am determined to keep stepping out of Plato’s cave and into the world ‘out there’ rather than living within the restraints of that cave, perceiving the shadows as the only life there is!

Photo credits: https://www.flickr.com/photos/yuk1k0/...