This was to be a blog about becoming a sophomore in high school, a time filled with lots of fun, adventures having a car and falling very much in love for the first time. But that one is still formulating in my mind. There have been a lot of things going on since the first of the year in my little world. I read two blogs recently that have made me decide to veer to another subject.
Most of the baby boomer blogs contain material on the perils of aging. I do not read most of those as I find it depressing to hear about having enough money to retire, how to care for aging parents, what expensive retirement community you should move to, health issues, downsizing your living accommodations and on and on and on. The latest one was just to admit you are aging, slow down and in effect, get old faster! Gads! Makes me wonder what is wrong with people. I have been active all my life, learned new things at all stages of my life and now I am supposed to go sit in a chair and complain about getting old?
I had a dear friend who was in her sixties take me out for lunch on my thirtieth birthday. She told me that I would have more fun in my thirties than at any other time in my life. Great advice I put to use having fun raising two boys, going back to school and starting my own business. There were moves to Kansas City, Philadelphia and Detroit, all interesting and fun places to live. All places that had houses to decorate, great people to meet, historic sites to see and lasting memories to make.
But although my forties were at times challenging with a divorce, being in business for my self and being a single Mom it was a time when I learned how to be me. I could suddenly do what I wanted to do, move where I wanted to move, re-unite with old friends from high school, learned to go camping for a cheap vacation, and had much fun skiing, dancing and skating. Son Wally filled the house with rock and roll bands, we both skated in an ice show for five years and went to a lot of drag races to watch son Wes.
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| Wally age 15, Mom are 43 |
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| Wally and Wes |
The fifties brought me Marshell. Wow! How did I manage to find someone that puts up with my wild schemes to go live in a gas station, build a race car or open a blues club? Actually I think he had put his own slightly offbeat life when he was young on the shelf to be very traditional, raise a family and not look like a nut. I wonder how many times in those first ten years he rolled his eyes back in his head when I was feeding nineteen stray cats or had taken on a project I had no idea how to do.
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By the time my sixties rolled around and Marshell retired he had learned that retirement did not mean slowing down and buying a recliner. It was a joint decision to purchase a 100 year old bank building for our place of retirement. That constituted ten years of renovating and reconstruction, owning a diner, doing festivals and events, arts and crafts shows, feeding more cats and Marshell learning to skate.
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| Marshell's Christmas present at age 73 |
I will turn seventy this summer and the start of this year has been as busy and as crazy as every other decade. In January I had to have my adenoids removed just like most other twelve year old girls and then came cataract surgery. Neither has made me feel old but only bothered because I have not been able to sign up for the Zumba class I want to take or go skating as the cataract lenses might dislodge. I will not confess to the eye doctor about the miles I walked helping on a political campaign or the number of times I ran up and down the stairs. Only three more weeks and I can go back to all my normal activities.
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| My debut playing Wipeout at age 65. |
Perhaps you will think that Marshell and I are lucky to be healthy. Luck has nothing to do with it. We became vegetarians four or five years ago (although there are times we can't turn down a cheeseburger and fries), get lots of exercise, take no medicine (that blows the minds of hospital workers who wants your medical history), get up everyday looking forward to all the possibilities the day can bring and most of all we have fun.
I have been known to tell people I am ten years older than I am. Boy! Does that blow their minds - especially women. You are only as old as you act and feel. All those blogs about getting old, living in smaller spaces, ridiculous cartoons about being forgetful and not being able to do this or that drive me crazy. Sitting at the coffee shop listening to constant complaining, watching mindless television in a recliner and finding nothing right in the world will make you old. Making the comment you can't do something you did in your thirties or forties is only because you stopped doing it. Fill your days with meaningful things to do, take a class, learn to play a musical instrument, go hang out with some young people that aren't your grandchildren, go do something you've never done before, laugh a lot and stop worrying about things you have no control over. Live everyday like you are in your thirties and you will feel and act that way.
