When this posts, it will be my 57th birthday. Fifty-seven. Wow. I was also born in 1957. And there's supposed to be a blood moon tonight. All the cosmic things coming together means this should be a good one, right? :-)
I've spent some time thinking about what this whole 'growing old' thing is all about. I've always felt far younger than my age, which has been a beneficial thing at this point. I know of so many of my classmates who look another ten years older than they are. Who are barely mobile, or who have serious medical conditions, or who look like they've been rode hard and put away wet. But at least they're still breathing. We lost a popular classmate earlier this year. His death was totally unexpected--died in his sleep overnight. No warning, no health problems. Just boom...dead. It's one thing to be unexpectedly killed in an auto accident. Something totally different to unexpectedly die in bed. I'm afraid, though, that it's going to start happening more often soon...
But back to me... I'm still one of the breathing ones. I've been blessed in that I have never had any sort of food allergy. I've never had anything that those abundance of TV commercials try to peddle. I've never suffered from depression (other than that one time for awhile, but there was at least a reason for it...). I've pretty much avoided any cancer-related things among my family. I've never experienced things that so many of my friends, classmates and acquaintances have endured.
Is everything good? Of course not. I'm overweight, which affects my knees. The day I need to run for my life, is the day I die. I have diabetes--not the nasty version where I have to totally monitor everything I do, but I still have to behave. I've spent time in jail for crimes I did not commit. I am not "in shape", but I'm certainly better off than some people 20 years younger than me. My hair is gray, but I still have it all, except for the times I shave it off. My eyes are going bad, but only for reading things. My hearing is pretty good, especially for a former band director.
Where is this all leading? I'm turning 57, and I embrace it. Like I've embraced every birthday before this one.
--Regrets? None, really.
--Satisfied with life so far? I'd say yes.
--Am I where I thought I'd be 30 years ago? Probably not, but that is such a rare thing anyway.
--I dream of winning the lottery, but then remember that I never play it.
I'm turning 57, and look forward to the next 20 years. And starting to use those AARP discounts! :-)