There comes a day, somewhere in the middle of every woman’s life, when Mother Nature herself stands behind us and wraps her arms around our shoulders, whispering
“It’s time.”
“You have taken enough now. It’s time to stop growing up, stop growing older and start growing wilder.
There are adventures still waiting on you and this time, you will enjoy them with the vision of wisdom and the companionship of hindsight, and you will really let go.
It’s time to stop the madness of comparison and the ridicule of schedule and conformity and start experiencing the joys that a life, free of containment and guilt, can bring.”
She will shake your shoulders gently and remind you that you’ve done your bit. You’ve given too much, cared too much, you’ve suffered too much.
You’ve bought the book, as it were, and worn the t-shirt.
Worse, you’ve worn the chains and carried the weight of a burden far too heavy for your shoulders.
“It’s time” she will say.
“Let it go, really let it go and feel the freedom of the fresh, clean spaces within you. Fill them with discovery, love and laughter. Fill yourself so full you will no longer fear what is ahead and instead you will greet each day with the excitement of a child.”
She will remind you that if you choose to stop caring what other people think of you and instead of caring what you think of you, that you will experience a new era of your life you never dreamed possible.
‘It’s time’ she will say…
“to write the ending, or new beginning, of your own story.”
Donna Ashworth
Have you ever reached a point where you look at your life and feel a quiet, persistent whisper? A whisper that says, “Is this it?” It often happens in those middle years, after we’ve spent decades building careers, raising families, and checking off the boxes we were told would lead to happiness. Yet, we find ourselves yearning for something more—more adventure, more freedom, more joy.
Donna Ashworth’s poem It’s Time beautifully captures this feeling. It speaks to that moment of awakening when we realize that the life we are living might not be the one we truly want. It’s a powerful reminder that we often reach a crossroads, not because of external circumstances, but because of an internal shift. We start to question the routines and responsibilities that once defined us.
What’s truly profound, and what the poem illuminates so well, is the realization that many of the chains holding us back are ones we’ve forged ourselves. They aren’t made of steel, but of our own thoughts, beliefs, and the stories we tell ourselves. We think, “I’m too old for that,” or “It’s too late to start over,” or “I don’t deserve to put myself first.” These beliefs feel like facts, but they are just mental constructs—invisible cages we’ve built around our own potential.
For years, you may have put everyone else’s needs before your own. It felt noble and necessary. But now, that quiet whisper is getting louder. It’s telling you that it’s time to listen to your own heart. It’s time to question the self-imposed rules that say you must be practical, sensible, and stay within the lines.
Breaking free starts with a simple but radical act: giving yourself permission. Permission to want more. Permission to be a little selfish. Permission to dream of a life that feels expansive and exciting, not just safe and predictable. It begins with challenging the long-held belief that your worth is tied to your productivity or your service to others. Your worth is inherent. You deserve joy, passion, and adventure simply because you exist.
This isn’t about abandoning your responsibilities or making reckless decisions. It’s about making space for yourself within the life you’ve built. It could be as small as taking a solo weekend trip, signing up for a class you’ve always been curious about, or finally starting that creative project you’ve pushed aside. Or it could be as big as changing careers or redesigning your entire future.
The first step is often the hardest because it requires you to confront the mental chains you’ve grown comfortable with. But once you start to question them, you’ll find they aren’t as strong as you believed. With each small act of self-worth, you weaken those chains until, one day, you can simply step out of them.
If you’re standing at that crossroads, feeling that pull towards something new, know that you are not alone. It’s a natural part of the journey. This is your invitation to look inward, to identify the beliefs that are holding you captive, and to decide that it’s finally time. Time to choose adventure. Time to choose freedom. It’s time to choose yourself.
