Today, I'm turning 49.
And honestly?
That number didn´t keep me awake last night.
In fact, the older I get, the less important my age becomes.
When I was eighteen, I felt much older than I do today.
Not because I had more life experience, but because life forced me to grow up far too quickly. Circumstances placed a weight on my shoulders that no eighteen-year-old should have to carry. I took everything seriously. I worried constantly. I felt responsible for everyone around me. And perhaps most of all... I cared far too much about what other people thought of me.
If I could meet that eighteen-year-old version of myself today, I would simply give her a hug.
I would tell her that life isn't only about surviving—it's also about truly living.
That dreams have no expiration date.
That making mistakes doesn't mean you've failed.
And that you should never make yourself smaller just to fit someone else's expectations.
Don't get me wrong.
I still struggle.
There are still days when worries, doubts, and heartache try to pull me under. Life didn't suddenly become a fairy tale just because I've added a few more candles to my birthday cake.
But one thing has changed.
Where eighteen-year-old Anja was often overwhelmed by the weight of life, I now consciously try to let that weight slide off my shoulders. Not by pretending it isn't there, but by refusing to let it define my entire life.
And perhaps even more importantly...
I've learned to allow myself to feel wonder again.
Wonder at a beautiful sunset.
An unexpected smile.
A meaningful conversation.
A quiet moment that appears out of nowhere.
The little things we so often take for granted.
Because it is in those moments of wonder that I keep rediscovering something important: life is always bigger than the burdens we carry. The struggles may never disappear completely... but they no longer deserve to be the only thing I see.
Every single day, I choose to keep looking forward.
To keep dreaming.
To keep laughing.
And above all... to keep living.
Today, at forty-nine, I'm doing things that eighteen-year-old Anja would never have imagined.
I write. I create.
I'm building The Story Witch.
What started as a few simple quotes has grown into stories, a website, workshops, inspirational card decks, books, and dreams that slowly but surely are becoming reality. Not because the road was easy, but because I finally dared to believe that my voice deserves to be heard.
And do you know what may be the greatest gift of all?
I feel freer than ever before.
Not because life has suddenly become easy.
Not because every struggle has disappeared.
But because I'm living less according to other people's expectations and more according to my own heart.
Perhaps that's the greatest gift that comes with growing older.
Not becoming younger.
But becoming more yourself.
That's why today I won't celebrate my age.
I'll celebrate everything that has shaped me.
The people I've met.
The lessons that sometimes hurt.
The dreams that came true.
And perhaps even more, the dreams that are still waiting for me.
Because age is nothing more than a number.
It tells you how many years you've been here.
Not how much courage you've gathered.
Not how much love you've given.
Not how many times you've chosen to stand up again.
And certainly not how many beautiful chapters are still waiting to be written.
So if I could leave you with one wish today, for myself and for you, it would be this:
Celebrate your life. Not your age.
Don't let the number on your birth certificate define you.
Let your heart and your dreams lead the way.
Because as long as you're still curious, still growing, still falling and getting back up again, you're never too old to begin a brand-new chapter.
The candles on your cake may tell the world how many birthdays you've celebrated.
But your smile and your sense of wonder for life's little moments reveal how alive you truly are.
And believe me...
There is no age limit for that.
With love,
De Verhalenheks 🩷