Age has everything — and nothing — to do with it.

This is, admittedly, a very short post. But it’s something I have to say. Lately, I’ve gotten kudos for (1) beginning a career in audiobook narrating, and now (2) training to do audio descriptions for the visually impaired — at this stage of my life.  There’s the kicker.

Granted, I am no young chick. But while I try to be gracious about it, my initial response is akin to that poor deer in the headlights.  I don’t get it. Is there a point in life we stop getting curious about doing something new? If there is, I never got the memo. As for fear…. F it. With age comes that I-don’t-give-a-crap attitude about what people think. Honestly — aging is glorious. You should try it.

With age has come the realization that the most fun I’ve had in life is the result of doing things I love to do and finding out they are valuable to someone — from writing newspaper and magazine articles to ghostwriting books to creating podcasts to writing people’s blogs, and now narrating audiobooks. It’s like all those loaves and fishes. From a single newspaper column came syndication opportunities across the country. My budding voice-acting efforts have meant making books come alive for thousands of authors as well as their fans while I use the voices that have resided inside me for decades. Now? My excitement for audio description will have me entering the movie business while knowing I am helping the visually impaired watch a movie or a TV show. It just doesn’t get much more rewarding than that.

This is all such a win-win to me that I don’t know what to do with it all, but I know I will figure it out. I always do. And as I said, age has everything and nothing to do with it.