Half Century, part III

This is the week I turn 50. On my natal day, I will be in the car with my kids and granddaughter, heading to the Bay Area for a vacation.... mind you, this is a get-away, not a rest. Anyone who's driven in a car for any long period of time with a six year old knows there is no rest to be had! hehehe

And I keep looking at things, and thinking "how did I become this old?" Now it's not a matter of parents being 50 and "old"... its ME! And there are things about it I don't like: creaky bones in the morning, muscles that I had lost for a time make an appearance every now and then when I least expect it, eyes that don't work as well as they used (or many other parts as well!), telltale wrinkles, and funny brown spots. But there are things that I like about it as well: "I'm old, go get ~fill in the blank~ from the car for me."

It's funny when you think about time. Take old cars for example. You might see a sign that says "vintage cars"... but the cars that are really there? Are the ones you admired, desired or actually drove yourself! When did ~we~ become vintage? And what about your handwriting? I can remember signing my name and thinking I had a nice Capital L and D .... and now, its beginning to look more like chicken scratch! Or foods on a restaurant menu.... it's not about ordering the food we want any more. When did foods become 'too rich'? We never had to think about this before ... food was just there. Same with the weather channel. In my early 20's, I never considered the weather, it was just there ... and we dealt with it. Nowadays, I can gauge my outings by the weather: too hot? I'll wait. Rain? I can get what I need tomorrow. And when visiting the old home town, you know it's 50 when you hear yourself describe a new store as what used to be there. "Go up to the corner where Rogers' Drugstore used to be... "

50 is asking yourself whether people today would ever go into a bookstore if they couldn't get biscottis, videotapes, CD's and espresso.

50 is looking at the new fall fashions and thinking: Who are they making these for?

50 is when there is no one in the world to tell you what your bedtime is-- you are always in bed before bedtime.

50 is quoting the country music line: "My heart's not ready for the rocking chair..... "

And that, dear readers, is the bottom line....
I may be 50 in chronological years, but my heart isn't!!!

HUGS to everyone!

Just a note....

Just a quick hello, readers! It's Thursday, at noon, and I am at the library on a long lunch hour, studying for the final --- which is in two days. I can't tell you how ready I am for math to be over with. But I also know that when it's done, I'll be wondering what I'm supposed to do with all this extra time on my hands!! There's always a strange lull, a feeling that you're supposed to be doing something, when a class ends. Or maybe its just me; I tend to put myself into a rigid routine of getting assignments done. Here's why:

When I was growing up, my folks took us to church every Sunday. One of my Sunday school classes was taught by the Pastor. As it is with pre-teenagers, some can never resist asking questions. And he was always wonderful about being honest in answers, which is probably what made him such a likeable person. Anyways, someone asked him how he came up with topics for writing sermons, and the conversation came around to waiting til the last minute, or being done on a schedule. He told us that if he didn't have his sermon written by Friday night, he had a horrible nightmare about having to give his sermon in the nude, and that's what kept him on his rigid schedule of making sure it was done on time :)

Since hearing that story, I never wanted to have nightmares like that! And in growing up, I was almost always good about having assignments done on time; I was never the kind who would have a late night cram/jam session! Which means most times, I slept well, and didn't have the nekkid nightmare ... at least, I didn't have it because I didn't get my assignment done on time! The whole speaking in public thing.... that was a different matter!

HUGS to everyone!