Today is my birthday. I am not celebrating a new decade. So, I really hadn’t thought much about it. I had hoped to just treat it as any other day. When I woke up this morning, it was clear that I had made another trip around the Sun. I knew that it was raining, before I looked out of the window – my joints were achy.
It’s official. I have turned into my grandmothers. Both of them could predict the weather with their body parts. I would hear stories from them that their “room-a-tizz” and “author-eye-tiss” knew when precipitation was going to happen.
I loved my grandmothers. But, they were old. I don’t feel old. I feel like I did in my 20’s or 30’s. At least I do until I speak to someone who is in their 20’s or 30’s. Then, I am aware of my advancing age.
I still haven’t decided what I want to be when I grow up!!! I can’t be old! I have heard that, “Growing older is mandatory, but growing up is optional.” My age has given me tiny a bit of wisdom, but I hope that my zest for living gives me an attitude that is younger than my chronological age!
This is probably how a mid-life crisis begins. A person has gotten to a place in their lives where they finally have the freedom and finances to do what they wanted to do when they were younger, but couldn’t. The sports car is bought. The face has a few more lines. So, an appointment with a plastic surgeon is made.
I am not going to get a sports car or a facelift. I am going to do some things that I wanted to do when I was younger, but didn’t even think that I could, because I had children living at home. Thanks to rise in housing costs, groceries, and gas, but not salaries, I still have children living at home. Putting things off is no longer acceptable.
I was reminded this week to live each day as though it were my last. This is not the license to go crazy that it once was. I have learned over time that my body is breakable and facing the morning after consequences aren’t fun. However, I will take some small steps to try new things.
I look forward to writing about my new experiences. I might learn a new skill, discover a city that is a diamond in the rough, or maybe I will get pink and purple highlights! Who knows? Wherever this next 365 day adventure takes me, I hope that I will discover more about myself as I journey with Monica.
Journey with Monica 