The Journey Begins!

There are a lot of sentiments that come with growing older…it’s just a number…you’re as old as you feel…better than the alternative…all designed to make us feel better about our age.   All of those are true and as I come to terms with turning 60… in one year, I feel a lot of emotions.  I feel happy…excited…relieved, but the one emotion I don’t feel is sad!  If I’m being totally honest, I honestly never thought I’d make 40 (that’s a story I may or may not share one day) so to be hitting 60 in a year from now…is a bonus!  This next year is going to be a year to celebrate and enjoy each moment as I get to that huge milestone.  Today I hit 59 and my birthday wish is a hope to make each day, moving forward, a productive and positive day.  One way or another I will do my best to find the good in a day, to learn something and to try things I never thought I would.  I’ve also decided to start a blog to add that extra bit of incentive, to give that push, to add a bit of pressure to make sure I do something.  I am a bad procrastinator, so this commitment might help me to get busy and use each day productively.  My plan is to post once a week highlighting a variety of topics I’d like to share with you. I retired just over 4 years ago, and now that I’ve finally caught up with my sleep, its time to get busy again.  

My plan is to post my profound thoughts (:)) rants, crazy pictures and things I find fascinating and beautiful, life lessons 102…and whatever else I learn along the way.  I hope you come along with me!  (I’ll do my best on this blog, its all new to me and a bit more complicated for me than turning on my computer…eek)

Regardless of the number I have never felt ‘old”…in fact, I am still pretty young in my head.  My body…not so young anymore.  So I really don’t think I’m old…well until a week ago.  Tim and I were doing our daily workout.  The gym was pretty busy and I was heading towards a free bench to do some weights.  At the same time another gym dude was walking to that same bench.  When we both arrived at the same time I said to him ‘oh, go ahead’.  He replied ‘no, you go ahead’.   In the background I hear this ‘middle aged’ guy say ‘its okay, he has lots of time, take it’…and he added ‘those young guys have nothing but time’. The young guy, who gave up the bench to me, gave me a slight nod and walked away from the bench.  As I was grabbing the weights I realized he wasn’t just giving up the bench to be nice, he was being ‘respectful’ to the ‘Old Guy’.  The ‘lots of time’ comment was a reference to the young guy who because of his age would have more time than me… all of a sudden as I stood silent I felt odd, then immediately shocked, the ‘old guy’ was ME!

Well, this old guy is going to celebrate my age.  My friend Lorraine told me, when I was turning 50 to embrace it and realize all I have accomplished and to be proud of that.  Good advice I’ll follow as I turn 60…not yet…in a year!   

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton