By the time you are reading this column (yes, all two or three of you readers out there), I have passed the half-century mark and have moved on to the big 5-1.
It's amusing to hear various people (often they are women) react to their birthdays by refusing to celebrate it, or by celebrating their 29th or 39th birthday in perpetuity.
I can see why they do this; it's a way to laugh at oneself, or to deny that they really are THAT age.
For myself, I'm fine with it, with being the age that I am. The thing is, it just doesn't seem real that I am this age; after all, I remember clearly my kids being young and going to school. But it seemed too that their schooling got over in an awful big hurry; my baby is now out of high school, and is living with her sister in Regina! Her sister is in her second year of university! And I am overusing the !-mark, aren't I? But it's for a reason - namely, I can hardly believe that all these things are rushing by so quickly.
I suppose that's part of the secret to handling one's aging and maturing; you have to realize the constant passage of time is an unceasing flow, like a river; it can't be stopped, or reversed, but it flows on, and on, so enjoy every moment that you have within that flow because before you know it, those cute kids are all grown up, then they're getting jobs and being married and having kids who then grow up and get bigger
You see what I mean?
I like a fridge magnet that we have, and had long before I was ever at the "Big 5-0" mark. It says basically, "If you haven't grown up by the time you're 50, you don't have to."
This is humourous, but one has to realize that life has a way of forcing you to grow up. For example, I have long heard that "nothing will grow you up so fast as having a child to raise, a baby to feed and to change and to care for." And this is true.
But now having moving beyond that, those kids are now off and on their own (except for the son, who's still at home), I sort of have to re-invent myself in a way, don't I? Now I'll have time to do things like my own writing projects or my own photo projects in my spare time; I've joined with the Rotary Club, so I know I will be volunteering my time there as I also do at my church.
Some people feel that the pinnacle is 50, and thereafter is the downward side of the hill towards the end; well, as I see it, I'm more at a plateau, and this is a second part or half, and it's got its own exciting challenges and moments to come. Some will involve my kids as they move on to their milestones, and I can celebrate those with them, but in the meantime, I am looking forward to what new milestones I can set and reach for myself.
