“Born too Late?”

A Moment in My Life – Monday, September 28, 2020

Sometimes I wonder if I was born too late. I remember the day vividly when Uncle Sen introduced his bride to our family. I was seven and fascinated with Aunt Linda. Like a celebrity, she was this statuette fashionista, nothing like anybody around my neighborhood in the suburbs. I’m sure she was tired of me tailing her like a puppy dog observing her every move, but she was too polite to say anything. 

Everywhere we went, Aunt Linda was not alone with me wrapped around her arm like I was her handbag. Speaking of handbag, Aunt Linda‘s suitcase was like a crayon box with the different colors, lime green, bright orange shoes, and matching bags that color-coordinated with her pretty sheath dresses. I didn’t even care that those colors weren’t in my color wheel. Everything about Aunt Linda enthralled me. She was like a human Barbie doll! I couldn’t wait to grow up to dress as she did. 

Alas, I was old enough to wear heels, by then, in the seventies, nobody matched their shoes with their purses or even wore dresses except for special occasions. Although I never saw anybody dress as colorfully and stylishly as Aunt Linda, where I lived, that image was tattooed on my mind like an old photograph dear to my heart. In my early teen years, it was hard enough to fit in with the other kids and find my place in the world, let alone stand out. I quietly lived my life as it unfolded, wishing I was born earlier.

Growing up in San Francisco, I fell in love with Victorian houses and that era. Again, I wish I was born earlier. I visited the Haas-Lilienthal House often and dreamed of living there. I dreamed of wearing Victorian dresses and living in a simpler period, just like in my favorite movie Somewhere in Time, but here’s the thing though, I love modern conveniences. I thought about buying the newly built Victorian house in Pacifica for the best of both worlds, but that didn’t work out. As much as I love the Victorian era, I love what the modern world offers more. Technology has spoiled me. I’m sure I could acclimate to life without it, but it was hard enough living in my world with access to the modern conveniences available to me, so I don’t think I want to go back to simpler times. 

As I lived through the phases of establishing my life and my world, I realized that I like the era I was born into. It took decades, but I finally became who I wanted to be. So what if I didn’t get to dress like Aunt Linda, but I wore power suits as a young adult. I learned it’s not so much the period I live in or even my age, but my confidence in who I am that makes all the difference. I am in control of creating the life I want. These days, anything goes, so if I wanted to dress like Aunt Linda, I could make it so.  

When I think back to where I came from, I no longer believe I was born too late, but rather if anything, I was a late bloomer. It took me forever to arrive at who I am today, but I made it, and I’m happy with the person I get to be. What was old is new again. Meaning today is way more liberated, and I am grateful I was born when I was because I’m free to be me with splashes from the past added to my present. Did I know that I’d be wearing purple shoes one day? Nope—but I do, and I wear them with my chin up.