Birthday Musings

Today I am 59 years old. I’m not squeamish about saying my age. I just can’t believe it came so soon! It has gone so fast! When I look at pictures of people in the paper, for instance, who are famous or infamous and are my age, I often wonder, “Do I look that old?”

My mom and dad were only 18 and 21 when I was born. Dad was in the Navy, stationed in Memphis. Mom was staying with her parents in Monticello, Minnesota until after the big event and I was born in the big city, Minneapolis, 50 miles away.

Dad hitch-hiked from Memphis to Monticello around the time I was due. Unfortunately, I was late and he had to report back to the base. Doubly unfortunate, he had been granted additional time by his superior, but he didn’t get the word in time. Fortunately, the superior was a really good guy and let him go back home when I finally arrived.

I have been thinking a lot these past few days about the things that have occurred in my body in the last few years – things I don’t feel old enough for yet. Here they are, in no logical order:

~~Brown spots on my hands. At least they’re not on my face! I saw this commercial last night for some product that’s supposed to make our faces look like we’re 20 again, fading all those brown spots.

~~“I’m sitting on the floor playing games with the grandkids, and I can’t get up!” When did the ability to pop right back up from the floor go away?Arthritis, possibly, well probably.

~~Loss of good vision – that goes on and on. I’ve worn contacts for 37 years. A few years ago I had to add reading glasses to the mix – over the contacts, with bifocals on the side. The power of the reading glasses increased every few months. Finally, I had at least 7 pairs of 1.75 reading glasses scattered all over my world – on top of the microwave, on the lamp table in the bedroom, in my den where I have devotions, in my purse, at work. Add to that reading sunglasses, regular sunglasses for driving, sunglasses to go over the bifocals (really ugly!), and it got to be just too much to keep up with. So I gave up on the vanity and dumped the contacts. Now I have a pair of bifocals and a pair of bifocal sunglasses.

~~More about vision – when I’m getting ready in the morning, I put my glasses on after applying my miniscule amount of make-up and combing my hair. Hmmm. I looked much better in the pre-glasses fog! And my shower looked much cleaner before I looked in there with my glasses on!

~~Loss of short-term memory. As you can tell by what I write, my memory of the “good old days” is pretty good. I just can’t remember my mom’s phone number when I go to call her. Or what I came downstairs for! Or the great word that I was going to say next – it’s just gone!

~~I make funny sounds in the night – according to my husband. I have to believe him – why would he make up such a disgusting story when he loves me so much?? I wake up numerous times during the night, so rest isn’t the best. Oh, the joys of the M word!

~~I’m tired! I enjoy my job, where I spend half of the work week. And I love my grandkids passionately, with whom I spend the other half. But there is a God-given reason that children are most often born to the young.

~~And then there’s the weight thing. It goes on much more easily than it comes off at this stage of the game. The more I think about it, there might be a connection here with the reason I’m tired and why I have a lack of energy. There is a definite correlation between how often I go to the gym and how I feel. I’m too tired to go, so I don’t. Then I feel worse. If I just get there, I feel so much better. What a conundrum. I absolutely refuse to resize my wedding ring!

NOW for the good news – I am the eldest of five siblings and I have the least gray hair!!

Have a wonderful week.