A Big New Number!

 Good Monday morning...a new week with new possibilities!

I have a ton of stuff I want to get done this week, but I am going to take a few minutes to sit down and type out some thoughts and hopefully get a few chuckles out of you, spread some cheer and inspiration, and probably get a whole bunch of eye rolls!

As many of you probably saw, I had a BIG birthday last week. It wasn't a big celebration, just a big new number. Yep, turned 70! I don't know why but for some reason that really seems old to me. And yet, I don't feel any older than I ever have. 

In fact, I have had the unique privilege of "un-aging". The oldest I've ever been is 66, four years ago. I was so sick and stressed and in so much pain that each day was just an exercise in exhaustion. I received the "gift" of shingles for my birthday that year, worst gift ever! I always thought of shingles as a rash, and I wasn't wrong, but it's the rash from hell plus fever and pain and nausea. Sickest I've ever been in my entire life! All the time I worked I never missed more than a couple days from illness, but that time I missed two weeks, and still felt like I was going back to work too soon. And those knees had been deteriorating for years, and that year the final smidgen of cartilage disappeared and left me almost immobile.

Shingles finally cleared up...pretty much, although I found out they don't always disappear entirely. I still have days when they bother, but way less than they did. And I had bilateral knee replacement surgery the following April, which turned out to be an even greater success than I had hoped for. I remember when I finally got through PT and was able to get around thinking that I would never take walking without pain for granted again. While I haven't taken it for granted, it has become much more the norm and I don't pause to appreciate this blessing as often as I should. 

So, I've been mourning the loss of my youth for the past week, but I am also appreciating the opportunity to get another year of life, even if it is the 70th year of it. This is not an opportunity that has been afforded everyone. I graduated from high school with 3 people who didn't see 70, and know many, many more who passed away far too young. Life is a gift and not one that should be taken for granted. 

When I assess the blessings in my life, most of them would not have been possible at earlier ages. I enjoyed my kids when they were young, but it's a blessing that they are now making adult lives for themselves. And the biggest blessing of all that is that they have given me 14 grandchildren with many great grandchildren still to come. 

I count my retirement as a blessing, even though I am still employed part-time. But this job doesn't sit directly on my shoulders, and it is flexible enough that I can simply call in absentee if I choose, which I seldom do until late fall when I call in absentee for 3-4 months! 

Mike turned 70 yesterday, and I believe it is a blessing that we still have one another and that we are still young enough to do most of the things we want to do. We might need to call in reinforcements when the job gets too big for us, but we can still load up that motor home and head down the road with it. And if the job gets out of control for us, we can always call for help from family who willingly drops whatever they are doing to help us! 

Our retirement is a blessing, and only possible because we spent the years working. We can sleep in if we want (Mike almost always does, and I seldom do!). We can jump in the pickup and head off for a day of shopping or sightseeing if we choose. Or we can take off for a weekend and visit family or friends. And retirement is a result of enduring a lot of birthdays!

I remember when Mike's Grandma Blanche was getting up there in years, she lived to almost 101! She said in her earlier years, like maybe through her 60s and 70s, that she was bothered by her age, but I noticed after she turned 90 that she proudly declared her age. And it was an achievement for her to still be so able-bodied and clear-thinking at that age. So Grandma Blanche is my goal. If I happen to die sooner, praise the Lord! But if He grants me another 30 years, I want to be as strong in body as well as mind as she was! 

Anyway, thank you to all who wished me a happy birthday. The day itself was just a regular workday. Biggest blessing of the entire day was that we passed up Fast Draw that night and stayed home in front of the TV to enjoy the warmth and coziness of home. Our pleasures are simple!