Things I’ve Learned at 61
Today marks my 61st birthday, and there’s no better time for reflection on life’s lessons. Some things I’ve learned just in the last few years:
- Sixty-one is not nearly as ancient as it used to be. Or maybe enough senility has set in that I can believe that?
- I am, in all probability, in the last half of my lifetime. That’s a little sobering, I suppose, but it doesn’t mean that my good years are past me!
- Turning 61 means one year closer to retirement. I’m not sure what “retirement” will look like for me—I really can’t imagine that it will be that much different than it is right now. I don’t plan to spend my “golden years” in a rocking chair!
- Turning 61 is still plenty young enough to enjoy grandchildren—even if a visit with a grandchild now requires at least a day to recoup!
- Being a mom is an incredible experience—life-changing, humbling, confidence-building (and –shaking!). Being a grandma is equally incredible, except it doesn’t carry with it the same amount of responsibility or guilt-infliction.
- As of nearly three years ago, I am officially in the oldest living generation of my immediate family. And not a day goes by that I don’t wish my folks were still around….
- Sixty-one is not too late to make new connections. You never know who will be your next gatekeeper—not necessarily to fame and fortune, but to friendship and new opportunities.
- Being 61—for me, anyway—carries with it a sense of contentment. I like my life right now and really feel more settled than I did years ago. And that’s a good thing.
Life is good. I’m blessed with an amazing family, wonderful friends, work I enjoy, and pastimes that entertain me. Here’s to the next 61 years!
“There’ll be new dreams, maybe better dreams and plenty, before the last revolving year is through.”
–Joni Mitchell, “The Circle Game”
© Melissa Clark Vickers 2015
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