Ghanaian
Actress Lydia Forson turned 32 years old today and she’s enthusiastic
about it. In a birthday message to preach about the need for people to
be open about their true ages, she said:
“I’m 32 years old today- yes- let me spell it out for you 32. .
.
I’m
not going to let anyone shame me into thinking I shouldn’t say this out
loud, or believe that it’s a sign that I’m running out of time, for
what I do not know. Because for many instead of looking at age as a
thing of pride we’ve shrouded it in negativity. .
.
I lost a
friend this morning to cancer and it just dawned on me that she didn’t
get to have this opportunity. So I’m going to scream my age out loud and
wear it with a badge if I have to. Why? Because 32 years is how many
mornings I’ve woken up and nights I’ve gone to bed. .
.
32 is how
many years I’ve inhaled and exhaled without skipping a beat, and more
than anything it’s the number of years I’ve been able to say I’m alive,
when others couldn’t. And for this I’m so grateful to God for my life
and how far I’ve come. .
.
I look back at the person I was on this
day last year and not only do I not recognize her anymore, but I’m
grateful she’s gone. For the first time in my entire life, I finally
feel centered. .
.
I can’t put into words what this means, but
what I can say is that it’s probably the happiest I’ve been in a very
long time. For years I concentrated and chased all the wrong things,
thinking once I had them I’d finally feel complete; until I realized how
unimportant they were and how very little they contributed to my life. .
.
When
you finally embrace or own who you are, you find peace and a sense of
calmness and that’s when your life really begins. It’s been a long road
with many obstacles that I’ve had to fight through, but this only
brought me closer to the true meaning of life. .
.
So as I
continue my journey, I pray to live a more honest, forgiving, selfless,
peaceful and whole life. A life not based on anyone else’s idea of what
it should be like. Today I may not be where I want to be but I’m exactly
where I’m supposed to be.”