I'll have to think about this one a bit more. I've spent the last 21 years being wife and mom.

We had three kids with a ton of different diagnoses, so I spent 21 years hopping from one crisis to another (sometimes life and death). Two of ours will need our help in significant ways for the rest of their lives, and we're still having crises with seizures and other issues.

For a long time I was convinced I would never be able to achieve my own dreams -- I was too busy dealing with reality (which was very often overwhelming to me at that). Over the last several years, however, I've realized that part of this reality is in adapting to the crises and embracing the moments I do have.

Much of what you describe is the maturity that comes from living - as we gain more and more experience, we realize how much more we need to learn, or we see things we wish we could do differently. They key is to let go of the regret and embrace those moments (or create them).

I'm getting there, but I'll likely always be working on myself and my own goals. And that's okay.