2018: Live Boldly

Well, it’s 2018… and it happened. I turned 45 years old a little over 3 weeks ago… and so far, it doesn’t feel that great! I’m experiencing some weird things for the first time:

• I can’t read the menu in restaurants when the lights are dim. I’ve become one of those people who use the flashlight feature on her phone to provide bright light to read the menu. But I still refuse to get readers… I’m not ready yet.
• I’m experiencing sudden weight gain that I can’t seem to control… I think I may have found the culprit (besides eating too much)… so we’ll see if my theory is correct, and I’ll write on that more later. I promise.
• All I want to do is just veg! Okay, so that might not be that new… but I used to enjoy going out and trying new things whether it be food or experience… but I find myself just wanting to go home, change into my pajamas, and just park myself in front of the tv or a book. I think I’m starting to see indentation of my bottom on my couch… so I’ve started to sit in different spots along my 3-seater. But I fear that I’m becoming a bigger hermit than before.

I’ve been in Silicon Valley for 2.5 years now… and I recently heard that it takes about 3 years to feel settled upon relocation. This is starting to make sense… I’ve accepted the fact that Silicon Valley is my home… but I also see myself becoming a suburban dweller who doesn’t get out… and I’m freaking out… because I used to have a life before aside from work. Now, i drive all of 5 miles a day: home to work then back home.

As many of my friends know (actually all of my friend should know…), I’m a big Wonder Woman fan… and I follow everything Wonder Woman on social media… including Gal Gadot. At the end of 2017, I saw that she was selected for Revlon’s Live Boldly campaign. For some reason, “Live Boldly” caught my attention. I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to live boldly… As I sat with this phrase for few weeks, I came up with few thoughts:

• LIVE BOLDLY for Jesus! Stand up for what I believe in… and engage in conversation about what it means to follow Jesus.
• LIVE BOLDLY for equality and justice! Stand in the gap and speak up for what is right, just, and for those who don’t feel heard.
• LIVE BOLDY relationally. As an introvert, meeting new people is what gives me energy. But I’m in the business of relationships… with God and with others. So my goal is to intentionally invest in relationships: my neighbors, people at my church, even my current acquaintances/friends.
• LIVE BOLDLY by being adventurous. Stop being a hermit… and get out! Be willing to try new things even if I’m trying them by myself, whether it’s new restaurants, exploring new places, travels, or even exercise (I know, I don’t exercise… which is why I added it here).

I want to keep growing as a person… and in the words of Jojo Moyes, I need to “Live Boldly. Push myself. Don’t settle.” And that’s exactly what I plan to do throughout my 45th year of life… even if my body refuses to work the way I want it to.