To be honest, I’m a bit panicked. I’m trying my best to accept this reality, these consequences, and the absurdity of the whole situation… Somehow, I’ve already turned 65.

How on earth did this happen? Where has all the time gone?

Time flies by rapidly. I clearly remember some moments in my life, but to be honest, there were also periods when I seemed to just muddle through each day, so my memories of those times are quite vague. Some of them, well, have even disappeared altogether.

Time flies so fast.

In the earlier years – when I was a child, in junior high school, during my adolescence, and during my college days – they are all easy to recall.

However, my thirties were mainly spent going through various changes, including getting married, having children, and trying to manage all of that while working. There were high points and low points during that time, but many of those moments seem like blurred shadows in my memory. In the blink of an eye, I found myself at 40. It’s a reminder, but I still feel young and have hope in my heart.

What surprised me the most was how quickly I reached the age of 50. Oh my god, when did a decade start to feel like just five years? Sigh. At that time, I was generally grateful. By then, some difficult periods had already passed. I really enjoyed my freelance life, although I didn’t earn as much money as I had initially imagined. As for raising children, the most exhausting stages of early childhood and adolescence had also passed. Everything felt fine, and everything was stable.

Later on, we made some major changes.

There are several important milestones between the ages of 50 and 60. My husband and I sold our house on Long Island and built a new one in Jamaica. I was both excited and nervous. What will life be like when I spend more time in Jamaica and eventually retire there?

I also lost one of my dearest sisters, which was one of the lowest points in my life.

Part of what has motivated me to keep going during this time is my desire to see the world. As a child, I had an imaginary club called “World Travelers.” This turned out to be a prophecy, as I incorporated travel writing into my work and life, and my childhood dream of traveling around the world finally came true. Those journeys—visiting Africa to see wild animals, tracking gorillas in Uganda, setting foot on the lands of Russia and Australia—have forever changed me.

Life has taken another turn.

In my early 60s, I found myself living in Houston. Texas was never on my list of places I wanted to settle down in, but as my mother got older and my other sister who used to take care of her passed away, I decided it was my turn to step in. The cost of living in Texas is lower, and another of my sisters also lives there.

For some reason, the past five years have become a bit blurred in my memory. Life seems to be passing faster than ever before. A week feels like three days, and a month goes by in the blink of an eye. Time is flowing by, and it makes quite a noise too.

At 65 years old, I now feel that there are more days ahead of me than there have been behind me. I realize that some things are unlikely to happen in my lifetime. After all, it's unlikely that I will become a millionaire. But what else is possible? How do I want to spend the rest of my time? I have decided to focus my energy on these questions.

I've more or less come to terms with the current situation.

At the age of 65, I began to relax a bit, straightened my shoulders, and told myself that it was time to take action, no matter what that "action" entailed.

Because I was worried that I might never be able to write a novel, I started doing some creative writing a few months ago. I made up my mind to finish it. If not now, then when?

On good days, I manage to reconcile with my current situation and no longer dwell on things that haven't happened yet, things that didn't come true in the past, or things I don't have. I choose to be grateful for everything. I believe I am in exactly where I should be. I know my story is still continuing, and I can't wait to see what the next chapter will bring.