Redominatelife

Reflections on Time: At 37, My Parents Were in Very Different Places

Time has a way of putting things into perspective. Now that I’m 37, I find myself looking back at where my parents were at this same stage of life. My mother had already passed, leaving behind a life that, while cut short, was filled with love, lessons, and memories that still shape me today. My father, on the other hand, was just embarking on his doctorate career, pushing forward into a future that would define much of his professional journey.

It’s a strange realization—standing in the present and seeing how differently life unfolded for them at this same age. I think about the uncertainties they must have faced, the decisions they had to make, and the ways their lives diverged from each other’s, and from mine.

Losing my mother at such a young age meant I had to grow up with a different sense of time. I learned to cherish moments more because I knew how fragile they could be. My father’s pursuit of higher education, on the other hand, was a testament to resilience—proof that life could take on new meaning even after loss, that the pursuit of dreams doesn’t have an expiration date.

At 37, I reflect on where I am. My own journey hasn’t followed either of their paths exactly, but their experiences have shaped me in ways I’m still discovering. I carry my mother’s memory in the quiet moments, the lessons she left behind. I carry my father’s ambition in the drive to keep learning, growing, and building a future on my own terms.

More than anything, this reflection reminds me that life moves at its own pace. Some journeys end too soon, while others continue to evolve well into later years. The important thing is to live with intention, to embrace the unknown, and to honor the past while still moving forward.

Until next time…