When the temptation to doubt myself becomes strong, I start to collect from my personal deposit of grace, faith, and love of my work.
Many times the strength of our belief in our own abilities is influenced by others. The process requires willingness to become vulnerable by taking the risk of exposure. In the end, we do redeem each other.

When a stranger sees me as an older adult, it makes me reflect deeply on my own life. These questions keep surfacing in my mind--"How much time do I have left to live? I wonder..."

I remind myself of a line written by one of my favorite authors, "Time is not as we see time but rather in lessons that are learned." As I go through old photos taken for almost two decades, I reminisce on the significance of each year past. The sight of myself surrounded by natural landscapes, especially oceans and waterfalls, energizes me. I see my milestones as proofs of my winning over life's challenges and my insatiable desire to understand its mysteries. The more I learn, the more I know that there is more to unravel.

I cling to youth within my spirit as the inevitable process of entropy looms in the future.