Springtime Birthday Reflections

Turning 38 and the power of a fresh start

Yesterday I turned 38.

It is spring here in Australia and I have always loved having a springtime birthday. As the flower buds gently unfurl and our crisp, frosty mornings give way to sunny, dewy ones, it feels like the perfect time for a fresh start.

This spring in particular, I am reminded that just as the world around me can transform, so too can I.

Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash

When I launched my Substack just over a month ago, my expectations were very low. I didn’t know if anyone would ever read my words here. I hoped perhaps a handful of people might follow me across from social media, but I thought there was a good chance this space would be nothing more than a journal where I would write into the void.

Can I tell you something that makes me cringe a little to admit? I actually thought perhaps it was too late. At almost 38, I wondered if maybe I was too old to start over again in the writing/blogging world.

You see, I’ve already been a blogger. At the risk of sounding boastful, ten years ago today I was in Europe, on a trip I actually won in a national blogging competition. That trip was one of the highlights of my life and an experience I am so grateful for, but not long after it, for a myriad of reasons I can talk about another time, I hung up my blogging hat indefinitely.

When I recently started considering writing on Substack, I wondered if it would seem pathetic or ridiculous to try again. It seemed very unlikely to me that anyone would be interested in reading my words this time around.

In a culture obsessed with youth and newness, it can feel like opportunities are reserved for those at the beginning of their journey. In the online world especially, the culture of popularity around influencers and content creators is so fickle, and trends come and go so quickly. The “it” girl of last year, could be bullied off the internet this year.

I was never well-known or popular enough to have that problem, but even so, I thought perhaps it was too late for me. I know 38 isn’t old, but it isn’t shiny and new either. Sure, people liked reading about a young couple in their twenties leaving their jobs in the city to raise chickens and make jam in the country, but who wants to read about that girl 10 years later when she’s gained a few grey hairs and lost some of her starry-eyed optimism?

And yet, here you are! Reading my words.

In my first month writing here, I have gained more than 450 subscribers. And while that may seem like a miniscule number in a world where having millions of social media followers has become the yardstick for success, to have 450 people choose to read my rambling words every week is nothing short of a miracle to me. And it has reminded me that magic can happen at every age and stage of life.

When we are young the world feels infinitely full of opportunities. As we age, it can feel like the landscape of possibilities shrinks. It is inevitable that our choices lead us down paths that close other roads off to us, and the further we get down that path, the harder is becomes to change direction.

But the idea that any of us have missed the boat completely is rarely true. Every stage of life offers its own set of opportunities and advantages. We just need to remain open to new possibilities.

I am no longer the fresh faced 20-something who started out blogging, but with age, has come experience. The chapters I have lived have provided me with insights and perspectives I couldn’t even have imagined 10 years ago. I am more resilient, more patient, more compassionate and slightly more cynical. I have a deeper understanding of myself and the world around me. My soul is the same, but I am older and wiser and, in many ways, better qualified to share my thoughts with the internet.

History is full of examples of people who achieved great things later in life. Vera Wang designed her first dress at 40, Julia Child was nearly 50 when she published her first cookbook and Colonel Sanders didn’t franchise KFC until he was in his 60s. These stories remind us that the potential for reinvention and achievement is not limited by age or time.

Photo by Benjamin Vautier on Unsplash

It is never too late to start over, to try again or to begin something new, and our dreams are worth taking a chance on.

As I celebrate my birthday, my first month here on Substack and the arrival of spring, I understand that every day is a chance to start anew, and every season is an invitation to embrace change with optimism and hope. Fresh starts are not always about grand gestures or huge leaps—they’re also about the small, daily choices we make in the hopes they will lead us towards growth and fulfillment.

Today, at 38, I choose to bare a little scrap of my soul with you here, through my words. I don’t know where it will lead me, but I’m excited to find out.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I truly am so grateful you are here.

Here’s to new beginnings, the promise of springtime, and endless possibilities ahead!

Katie xx