Embracing the Now: How Healing Today Can Pave the Way for a Brighter Tomorrow

3 min read

For the past year or so, I’ve been sharing something I call “Wednesday Wisdom” on my social media—simple, soul-nourishing quotes about aging with purpose and positivity. Just a little love note to myself (and others) reminding us that getting older isn’t a decline, it’s a divine evolution.

The quote that lives in my heart? “The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been” by Madeline L’Engle.

That one hits deep. Because it’s true: we carry every version of ourselves within us. The child. The young woman. The dreamer. The doubter. And the healer. They all live inside us. We’re not just who we are now—we’re a beautiful patchwork of who we’ve ever been. And sometimes, if we’re open to it, we get to go back and love those earlier versions in ways we couldn’t back then.

Let me tell you how that happened for me.

The Circle of Self: A Meditation on Time

I first met actress Kathleen Noone back in the 1980s during our soap opera days—she was Ellen on All My Children and I played DiDi on Edge of Night. We were both part of the ABC family and crossed paths at a network event in New York. But it wasn’t until years later, in our mid-to-late forties, that we truly connected—at a fan event in Los Angeles.

By then, the curtain had lifted on a new act: early-onset ageism in Hollywood. While I was still wrestling with it, Kathleen had pivoted. She was deep into a Master’s program in Spiritual Psychology at the University of Santa Monica.

She invited me to join a weekly spiritual growth circle she was facilitating—part of her coursework. At the time, my marriage was unraveling, and those evenings became a lifeline: meditation, reflection, and meaningful conversation with other women navigating life’s turning points.

One night, Kathleen led us through a meditation. We were to imagine ourselves sitting at the center of a series of concentric circles—each representing a decade of our lives. Then, one by one, we were to visualize the different versions of ourselves at each age. Hair, clothes, posture, expression—everything. And then, wait.

Wait to see which version of our past selves had something to say.

A Visit from Little Me

For me, it was the youngest. A little girl, around four years old—the age I realized my parents didn’t like each other very much and that maybe, just maybe, my mother didn’t like me either.

I’d done years of therapy, so I was ready. I expected tears. I was prepared to embrace her, to comfort her. But that’s not what happened. She ran. She was beaming. She jumped into my lap and threw her arms around me, squealing, “Ohhh, we got to be an actress!!!”

That little girl—the one who had once felt so unloved—was now full of gratitude. Her dreams had come true. She didn’t need comforting. She was proud. She loved me. And in that moment, I wept—not from sadness, but from a profound sense of validation.

She hadn’t been waiting for me to rescue her. She came to thank me.

That joy—her joy—gave me the strength to finally leave my unhappy marriage. It reminded me that honoring ourselves now doesn’t just impact the present, it rewrites the past, and realigns our future.

The Science of Healing the Inner Child

That moment felt magical—but it was also deeply scientific.

According to studies published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology, reconnecting with younger versions of ourselves through inner child work has been shown to reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, and emotional distress. It increases our sense of self-worth and helps build resilience—something we need more of as we age, not less.

One study found that women over 50 who engaged in guided self-reflection and emotional healing reported greater life satisfaction and more positive views on aging. In fact, emotional healing practices like meditation, journaling, and inner child work have even been linked to lower levels of inflammation—a major factor in age-related diseases.

And neurologically, it’s powerful too: research in neuroplasticity shows that our brains remain capable of transformation well into our later decades. That means the stories we tell ourselves—and choose to rewrite—can literally rewire our brains toward greater peace, clarity, and joy.

The Healing is in the Now

That’s the magic of healing after 50. It’s not about becoming someone new—it’s about reclaiming every version of yourself and loving her back into wholeness. And when you’re standing at a crossroads—wondering whether to stay where it’s safe or leap toward what feels right—remember this: You’re not choosing just for the woman you are now, you’re choosing for all the women you’ve ever been. And they’re counting on you.

You’re choosing for all of you. The little girl. The young woman. The dreamer. The survivor. They’re still with you. Still cheering you on.

So take the leap. Trust the now. Heal the past. And make space for the brighter, bolder future that’s been waiting for you all along.

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