Actress Lydia Forson has been active since 2005, starring in many top films and soaps, as well as taking on writing, producing and directing roles. She’s perhaps best-known for her roles in Perfect Picture (2009) – Supporting Role A Sting in a Tale (2009) Masquerades (2011), Phone Swap (2012), Kamara’s Tree (2013) South African series “Scandal” (2013), and A Letter From Adam (2014).
Today, on the occasion of her 32nd birthday, she looks back at her life, filled with several compelling stories which have molded her. She navigates,among other things, loss, negativity and purpose. Read her full essay here.
I’m 32 years old today- yes- let me spell it out for you THIRTY TWO.
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 my 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 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, it’s the number years I’ve made it past Christmas,New Years and other holidays, 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 many years, or my entire life for that matter, 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 but mine and God’s, doing what I love and surrounded by the people I care about.
Today I may not be where I want to be but I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
Source: lydiaforson.com