Yes to Aging :No to Forgetting Who We Were

Have you ever stumbled across a version of yourself you thought was long gone? It happens in the smallest moments. One morning, with a cup of coffee sitting beside me and my laptop open, I decided to do a little digital cleanup. Nothing major, just one of those “let me clear some space because my computer keeps reminding me I’m out of storage” kind of mornings. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but instead I ended up finding something I didn’t know I had been avoiding.

As I clicked through folders and drafts, I noticed a set of pictures I had once sworn I deleted. For years, I believed they were gone for good. There were images of me with my short blonde pixie cut, videos I made when I was just beginning to share pieces of my life online, even snapshots of the girl who dyed her hair pink and tossed away her old style without a second thought. I had saved them in my drafts, dragged them into the trash, and convinced myself they no longer existed. But there they were, sitting quietly in my digital bin like time capsules waiting to be opened.

At first, I felt that strange mix of surprise and annoyance. How were these still here? I was certain I hit delete years ago. But the more I scrolled, the less mad I became. It felt almost like walking into a room and forgetting why you’re there, is frustrating at first, until you realize you’ve stumbled onto something that matters. These weren’t just old pictures of me. They were reminders of how long I’ve been trying, how many times I started over, and how much of myself I’ve been willing to erase in the rush to keep up with the online world. #message

That’s why I’m sharing this with you today. Because sitting there, looking at those photos I thought I had thrown away, I realized how quick we are to label parts of ourselves as “trash.” We delete the things that make us uncomfortable, hide the moments that remind us of what we didn’t finish, and convince ourselves that moving forward means erasing what came before. But the truth is, nothing we create, no step we take toward becoming the woman we want to be is ever really wasted. Those drafts, those pictures, those half-finished dreams… They're proof of the process. They’re evidence that we’ve been showing up for ourselves long before we ever admitted it out loud.

And isn’t that the story of aging? We carry versions of ourselves we thought were gone. They resurface when we least expect it, asking us to remember that even in the middle of our doubts, we were still becoming.

So here’s my encouragement for you: go check your own “trash bin.” Maybe it’s a drawer of old notebooks, a forgotten photo album, a half written draft, or an idea you left sitting on the back burner. You might just find memories, creativity, or even a dream you thought you buried. And maybe just maybe it deserves another chance.

Because nothing about who we are, or what we’ve created, is ever really trash. It’s all part of the journey, part of the becoming, part of the story we’re still writing.

Until next time, have a FUNKY great day by any means. (If You Know You Know)

P.S. If you only take one thing from this story, let it be this: it can take years to accomplish a dream. Seasons will change, your ideas will shift, even your hair will go from blonde to pink and back again. But never let the grit and the grind to become what you dream of disappear. Hold onto that desire to soar higher. Keep showing up for yourself, in every season, at every age. And that’s on every FUNKY thing.

Xo Tangie