Very close to turning fifty years old now but what does that really mean?
It means the earth has orbited the sun fifty times since I was born. Fifty autumns, fifty winters, fifty springs and fifty summers.
In Australia it means I will be able to go into a retirement village (if I wanted to), have ‘Pensioners’ insurance and officially be called a senior!!!! Nothing like that to make you feel old.
It means I have greying hair, a sagging face (I don’t have many wrinkles but gravity has not been kind to my face) and my hands now look like my mother’s, whose now look like my Nan’s used to. My joints ache a little and it takes longer for me to get up off the floor than it once did.
Though I have had an empty nest for some time now, I treasure the peace and quiet more these days. More time for reading, reflecting, playing with the cutest kitten in the entire world, tickle the ivories for a while or just curling up watching my favourite movie for the hundredth time if I feel that’s all I feel I can manage.
I am much more comfy in my own skin than I used to be. I don’t think I am broken anymore just because I don’t like crowds, meeting new people or too much noise and enjoying my own company. Introversion is not a fault, for me, it’s a gift. I am learning to be ok with being imperfect too.
I have learnt how to say “no” to life’s endless requests without too much guilt. It may sound selfish, but my time is precious to me. The days, weeks and years go faster and faster. I don’t want to fill them with resentment. I try to think about things carefully before I do say yes. ‘Can I get back to you’, is an invaluable reply to any request.
OTHER great things that happened way back in 1966
- Our Australian dollar was introduced
- The mini skirt was in fashion
- Four people dig under the Berlin wall to gain freedom. (thank goodness that thing’s gone now)
- Star Trek debuted on TV
- Simon & Garfunkel released “The Sounds of Silence”. A timeless song recently redone (brilliantly in my opinion) by the band Disturbed. (Watch it on youtube)
- Kevlar was introduced
- Pampers created the first disposable nappy (diaper)
It’s really just a date on a calendar. A calendar we humans made up to help us track time. The sun will rise and fall just like any other day, I’ll probably get some phone calls and messages wishing me a Happy Birthday with some smart remark about being half a century old or having so many candles on my cake they will need to have the fire brigade on standby. I will probably have an extra long hug with my man in the morning and a meal out with family to celebrate (a night off cooking is always a good day for me). The earth will keep spinning and orbiting the sun as if nothing has changed and life will go on. Can’t wait. 🙂
