My beloved twins Maddie and Sydney turned 17 on Thursday and I woke up feeling a little clock inside me begin to tick.

It wasn’t stressful like I had to start rushing to get somewhere. It was a quiet sound, gentle even.

You see, I woke up super early in our Mexican hotel room on their birthday morning to decorate the living room with streamers, balloons, and gifts I brought from NYC.

As I groggily blew up balloons with my early riser Jack, I let my coffee sink in.

That’s when I felt it.

A sudden moment of perspective: my girls would be off to college within 18 months. And as much as I wanted to rewind time, as we all know, it just keeps passing.

A chapter is ending. Yes, the future chapters will be just as fun but they’ll be different.

So, I want to focus on what really matters in the time that’s left in this one.

That means less worry about teenage drama. Less nagging about things that are not that important. And way more fun.

It was around balloon number 11 (and yes, I almost passed out, have you have recently tried blowing up a balloon?) that I reminded myself this perspective is for any age.

My 12-year-old. Your 4-year-old. And especially yourself.

The ticking clock is in each of us if we quiet the mind enough to listen.

With fierce love,
Alison