When I look back, I find with great satisfaction that I have changed a lot and positively. The Nancy from 10 years ago is not the Nancy who writes today. In fact, I'm not even the Nancy from a year ago. For my own good, I have managed to create a version of myself that has left behind many things that were unimportant and that society had placed on my shoulders. Getting rid of that weight has not only been a liberating process, it has also brought me growth and maturity.

If yesterday I cared about what others thought of me, it was because I grew up in an environment where people are constantly observed, judged, and condemned, especially women. Like under a microscope, it is common for the surroundings to point out your characteristics, reactions, and even your differences compared to your peers. However, I don't know when I stepped out of the showcase or got off the pedestal and started living without worrying about what others would say: if I make mistakes, if I fall, if I love like butterflies love; that is my business, not others'.

I understood that people will always talk, judge, or compare. You will never be able to please everyone. So I live according to my own way and I set my own rules, not others.

In the past, I needed to go out partying and have fun away from home, with my friends, colleagues, or acquaintances. Weekend nights were not only a waste of energy but also of money. At that time, I didn't mind paying the bill by myself, just so everyone would be at ease. But the economic crisis hit the country, and when I started splitting the expenses, many 'friends' drifted away. So instead of returning to extravagance, I adopted a calmer life. I stayed at home, reading a book, watching a movie. I used to worry about having fun and living out my youth on dark nights; now I enjoy resting, staying at home, even if they call me old.

In the same vein, I am not worried about aging. Old age is a stage that I try to live with dignity and in the best possible way. I am a beautiful, active woman, almost 52 years old, who loves being 52. I don't long to be 20 or 30. I adore my wrinkles and the experience that the years I have lived have given me. Of course, I appreciate the compliments or flattery that others give me, but I don't live for it nor does it keep me awake at night. My physical appearance is a reflection of what I have lived. As Arjona says, I don't subtract years from my life, rather I add life to my years, which is better.

I am not worried about my own death. After the death of my 18-year-old nephew, I feel that I have lived long enough, and if there are people who die without having lived anything, if death comes knocking at my door, I would not be afraid to open it. Also, due to the premature passing of my nephew, for my own good, I began to believe that death is not the end of everything, but the beginning of something new, that there are other universes and other lives after this one, where those who have left are waiting for us.

There are many other things that used to worry me and that today do not worry me or occupy me less. I remember that when I was a child, I was very worried about the year 2000 because it was said that the world would end. But without realizing it, the year 2000 arrived and nothing happened. Now that I have seen and experienced many things, I try not to let things weigh so much: I don't anticipate anything, I just deal with it, because what I have to live, I will live in its time.