Whaaaat?  I Woke Up Today and I’m 60??

Now how did that even happen?  Isn’t it funny how, as you get older, you turn around one day and all of a sudden you are REALLY old?  I’ll never understand how time goes by so slowly when you’re a kid, and then poof, the years begin to fly by when you become an adult. My mother always told me that the older you get, the faster time flies.  Boy was she right about that one.

Yesterday I was little kid lying in the grass with nothing to do but search for four-leaf clovers under the warm summer sun.

Yesterday I was starting first grade and OH, so excited about the first day of school.

Yesterday I was learning how to drive a car and gas was 25 cents a gallon.

Yesterday I was graduating from college and becoming a real adult and there was no turning back.

So yes, you guessed it — I’m celebrating my 60th birthday today!  And I do mean celebrating — I’m having a party with dear friends and family, we’re going to have some good food and wine and fun, and then we’ll have cake and ice cream.  In my world, you can never have enough ice cream.  So forget that it’s been well below freezing for several nights in a row, ice cream here we come.  Oh and wine, lots of wine.

The only thing I don’t want on my birthday is presents.  The things that mean the most to me these days are not people showing up with a gift in hand, but just showing up and being ready to spend time together and have some fun. I think I’m starting to think like a millennial— they’re known for valuing time and experiences over things — and I have to admit I think they’re on to something.  Life is short, and I want to make the most of every minute.  That’s one of the things I love most about getting older, when you begin to realize what’s really important and what just does not matter.

I’m also not the least bit concerned about “aging,” and seriously, what can you do about it anyway?  The lines on my face are proof positive of every smile and laugh I’ve enjoyed, every sorrow and tear that I’ve shed in my lifetime.  I want to age gracefully and continue to seek out things to smile and laugh over, leading to a life that was full of rich experiences.

So instead of counting the years, I am counting my blessings.  60?  Who cares!  I am celebrating that  today I am healthy and strong, my family is healthy and happy, and I have wonderful, fun and loving friends whom I can always count on when I need them.  And they never say no to “Do you want a glass of wine?”

How about you?  What have you learned as you’ve grown older?    What advice would you give your younger self?

I appreciate each and every one of you as Chez Suzette readers, and I’m so happy you are sharing this journey with me to discover where this blog takes us.  Lookout 60, here we come.