I had a ball during my 20s and 30s. I did all the shit you are “supposed” to do as a young adult during the 90s and early 2000s. I went to Freaknik, Myrtle Beach Bike Week, Vegas, Palm Springs, the Bahamas, Mexico and various other destinations; I got drunk and high with my friends as much as possible; I went to college, did dumb shit that got me arrested; made a lot of bad decisions in love and life, and came out of it all still standing and prepared for the new chapters in life that I still had to write. None of that, however, compares to the blessed journey of self-discovery that began late in my 30s and continues to this very day as I approach my 50th birthday in July. As Bevy Smith said to me when she sat down with Auntie Unfiltered a few months ago, “It gets greater later.” It truly does. While I thought I knew who I was and what I wanted to be and do with life back then, an entirely new world opened up for me the year I turned 40, left my career in consumer finance and enrolled in school to pursue a degree in journalism. I haven’t looked back since. Everything that has happened since then has magical, to say the least. Two months after I finished my last semester at ASU, I was approached to write nightly news for The Root, and the rest, as they say, is history. I have interviewed everyone from Denzel Washington to Dr. Anthony Fauci. I have traveled around the country for news stories. I was on the ground in Sacramento at the peak of the outrage following Stephon Clark’s death. I’ve met some amazing people; I am blessed to work with some of the most brilliant Black writers you will ever meet in your life (like dude, I know Damon Young and Michael Harriot and Zack Linly personally!), and through it all, I have experienced more joy than I ever thought I could. Sure, there have been hiccups along the way, but none so big as to destroy the upward path my life has taken. Bevy was right. It does get greater later. Check out the video above and see what she has to say about pursuing your passions even as you get older. As Auntie Unfiltered has told you time and time again, it’s never too late. If you have questions, comments or concerns; if you need advice, or if you have a topic you think I should discuss, please hit me up at AuntieSubmissions@TheRoot.com.