#LifeAsACanvas: ‘Is Age Overrated?’ And A Cheeky Casual Outfit For A Walk In The Woods

We were singing and laughing on our way to Trigrad ? a small village, untouched by civilisation, situated in the heart of Rodopi Mountain, Bulgaria. The trip was planned to put an end to an electrifying summer filled with mind-boggling emotions and boundless banter. Now looking back it seems that during the summer I was more focused on experiencing the ?now? rather than pondering the future, something which I, the ultimate control freak, somehow managed to defer thinking about.

Outfit:

Snapback Hat – Vintage; Alternative: Leather Premium LA Dodgers Womens 59FIFTY

Shoes: Nike Airmax

Shorts – AEO Hi-Rise Denim Shortie

Hoodie – Vintage; Alternative Forever 21 Weirdo Hoodie
Scoop Neck Tank Forever 21

Bag: Aldo Minturno

Yeah, I somehow ended up seeing ?future? as something way too ‘vague’ which no longer seemed to be worth the hassle. A quite comforting thought, really, especially for someone utterly petrified from the prospect of getting old. Ironically, my looks that day did make me look as if I was 16 having pulled off an all pink outfit for a revitalising walk in the mountains.

Anyway, when we reached the village, there was hardly anyone strolling down its streets ? if you could call ?a street? a winding path covered with nothing but mud and the occasional rock.
From time to time we?d stumble upon an old grandmother staring right ahead all consumed in her thoughts. What was she thinking about? Was she reminiscing the years when she was waiting for her ?love? to come back from the forests? Was she reflecting on her life? Or was she kinda irritated by the very presence of the loud group of young people, who were ?noticing? the surroundings only when checking out the photos they had just snapped with their modern gadgets?

Suddenly, the pleasure of taking and uploading artsy photos on Instagram died out. An old couple was sitting right there before us, chatting and occasionally holding hands, the sight of which made me shiver. It was the tranquility and intimacy they radiated which raised a certain sense of inadequacy among us all. We didn’t have to utter a word? we just placed our phones back in our pockets and switched our cameras off

Don?t let technology obstruct you from ?seeing? and being truly ?present?. When you get the chance turn everything off. Use your eyes to take mental snapshots. It?s those vivid memories, which will inspire you to keep on walking on your life journey ahead.

When we got back to the hotel it was almost dinnertime. We ordered some traditional dishes sipping Bulgarian wine. After a day spent out in the nature all I wanted was to linger in silence and reflect on all that I had previously laid my eyes on. At this point I was completely oblivious of the events that would shortly after follow. I did notice a group of old women having dinner and enthusiastically chatting with one another. I had absolutely not clue who they were and what they were doing there, yet I couldn?t fail to notice the positive vibe they illuminated. It didn?t take long before they jumped to their feet and started performing the traditional Bulgarian ?horo? to the tunes of folklore music. But let?s get real! Old people rocking some traditional moves was kind of in line with my expectations.
What never crossed my mind, however, was that for less than an hour the ladies turned the dining hall into a magical space where time & age no longer mattered; a space where all that counted was the very moment and the cheeky dance.

Kina’s 86 years old. She’s tall. Gracious. And Fun.

Her hair’s silver and her eyes vibrant and deep.

Her energy impressive, her story even
more.

After the death of her abusive husband she?s now bullied by
her only child (42 years old man). He?s moved back with her to take advantage
of her lonesomeness and her money (which she doesn?t really have). So after all, the thinness of her figure was not a sign of vanity but simply pointing to her troubled
present & rotten past.

It turned out that all these women had gathered once to form a choir. They?ve been singing together for quite some time
travelling around the country and abroad, striving to carry on their grandparents’ musical legacy. At a certain point the music at the dining hall ceased playing and all that could reach my ears was the clarity of their whimsical voices.
All of these women kept a story worth sharing. Almost all of them were hiding painful secrets.
Yet, they were so present, so alive.
They were old enough to
cease worrying about the past.
Old enough to realise how important it actually is to laugh and enjoy every single second and take advantage of it. And, yes, it’s quite easy to take time for granted when you know you have
years ahead of you to enjoy. Today, they don’t.
And, yet, they LAUGH. They laugh out real hard!
They’ve learned to gather positive moments and spread out happiness to everyone around.
When I heard their stance on life, when I saw them having
fun with people at the age of their grandchildren it did hit me.

Age is overrated.

It?s a number.

A number that should count for nothing but statistics.

It?s all about how you feel.

How you choose to live.

It?s about your willingness to choose ?now? rather than
postpone your happiness for when you have almost no time left.
Dream about your future but in the process of doing so follow the cheeky 86-year-old Kina to the dance floor and rock some moves.