Big Birthday

Yes, indeedy, it was a big birthday. Numbers are getting bigger and bigger. It is a bit unsettling to know you will not live as long as you have lived. One of the things I learned in one of my human development classes in college is that the human mind does not age. Our bodies age, but our mind does not. Our brain ages. It becomes less elastic, prone to all sorts of illnesses, not the least of which is Alzheimers. But the mind - it stays the same. All those little old people out there that you have some preconceived idea about what they are thinking ... you are probably wrong. They are thinking in much the same way as they did when they were your age.

This birthday was special. I was with my children, and grandchild, and they always go out of their way to make it special for their Mom. They both had gifts and Jen had champagne (much needed after a ten hour drive from Nevada and then a traffic jam once we made it to Portland.) She had snacks to go with the champagne, and then tonight we had a gourmet dinner and my favorite cake - chocolate with white frosting. Perfect!

I'm grateful for the 55 years I have had. It has been a good 55 years. Not always easy, but always good. I am grateful for my family, my husband, my dear friends, for abundance, for a warm home. When I take stock in midlife, I wouldn't change a thing. Well, maybe a few things. I would have made more of an effort for a career after we moved to Portland five years ago. But it is never too late for something like that. My husband and I are going to try some new things in the next few months. We are going to think outside of the box and really look at what we WANT to do, not what we have to do to support a family. We have never been in this position, ever, where we could actually do that. It was fun to really get excited about doing something different. We have downsized, and we are comfortable. The next few years are going to be very hard for our country and it's people. But there is going to be incredible opportunities as well. We are moving into an era where "green" will reign, and clean energy sources will be sought after with a vengeance. There is opportunity in that. May the next stage of my life be exciting and fruitful!