62. 6+2. 6+2=8 So here are 8 things that are good about being 62!
1. Senior discounts! I now qualify for the Lifetime membership pass for the National Parks, the cafeteria, and movie ticket discounts, to name just a few!
2. Social Security eligibility. Even though I won’t draw on it for a while, at least I know I can.
3. State Retirement. At 62, I am now eligible to draw my state retirement. Same as social security, it will be a while before I draw on it but it’s nice to know it is there.
4. Sleep. If I want to go to bed, say 8:30 or 9:00 p.m., I don’t have to apologize to anyone. I can just say, "I’m 62 and I need my rest!"
5. Baby Boomer. At 62, I am proud to call myself a Baby Boomer. I’ve seen the early days of space exploration and Captain Kangaroo; I grew up in an era of "Beverly Hillbillies" and "The Brady Bunch"; I witnessed women’s lib, free love, and the best music ever in the 1970's. "Thriller" and big hair, preppy clothes, and attitudes. "Back to the Future" and "Titanic" – those years from 1953-1993 were the years my kids and I grew up. What a freakin’ privilege!
6. Driving. At 62, if I hit a curb, make too wide a turn, drive too slow, or change lanes without a signal, I get yelled at or flipped off for being an old lady driver. But that’s okay, I am 62.
7. Legitimate complaining. At 62, I can complain about how young people act unappreciative and entitled. Back when I was young, I had to ride the bus to school, I had a curfew, I had to work for a car . . . blah, blah, blah. I am 62 and those were the good old days!
8. More stuff. At 62, I am allowed to enjoy a glass (or two) of wine, sit in the rocker on the front porch and do nothing, take a nap, fall asleep in front of the TV at 7:30, say a curse word whenever I damn well feel like it, let go of regrets and guilt, boldly profess my faith to anyone who will listen, make choices that bring me happiness as long as they don’t hurt someone else, and carry a roll of flab around my middle (which is utterly disgusting) but who cares? I am 62!
These are my 8 good things about having 62 wonderful, glorious, exciting years on this earth and I am thanking God for it all.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Friday, September 18, 2015
A License to Drive
It's mid-September and temperatures continue to reach into the 90's. I am desperate for a change in seasons. It seems that Fall is taking its sweet time to arrive and I am growing impatient.
My 62nd birthday is just days away. As I was thinking about this particular birthday and the long, hot days of Indian Summer, and my lack of patience, a vivid memory leaped to mind. It was a Friday, September 1969. School had let out for the day and mother picked me up at the high school to take me to get my drivers license. The day was a scorcher, however, it was a game day so I had worn my pep club outfit to school. The outfit consisted of a heavy wool sweater, long sleeve shirt, and a wool skirt. I was hot and uncomfortable. And, as if that wasn't enough, our car had no air conditioning and no power steering.
I was stressed. Hot, miserable, and terrified of the man giving the test, I began to sweat profusely and feel nauseated. But, I was determined to take the test and nothing was going to stop me. Everything was going okay until my attempts to parallel park. It was a disaster and when we arrived back at the tag office, Mr. Test Giver informed me that I had failed to pass the test. I was devastated.
Mother had to drive us home which was not part of my original plan. I sat in the passenger seat and sulked all the way home. I was embarrassed to go home and inform daddy and all my family that I had failed the test. Worse than that, I would have to tell my friends that I had flunked.
But, I was a stubborn kid and I was not going to let this one failure keep me from the thing I wanted more than anything in the world -- and that was a drivers license.
So, several days later and with a little more practice in parallel parking, I believed I was ready to face Mr. Test Giver a second time. On the day of the test, I dressed more appropriate for stress and weather and armed with dogged determination and a strong will to reach my goal, I aced the test.
That was probably one of the first big failures in my life. At the time, little did I know there would be many more failures in my future. I never dreamed that there could even be anything worse than failing a driving test.
I have failed many other tests in my life and some of them are embarrassing and some of them have made me a better person. Some of the tests taught me valuable lessons and some I have actually taken over and over and over again. I guess it all goes to remind me that just because I have failed a few tests along life's way, I am not a failure. In my mind and in my heart, I am the same determined and strong-willed girl that I was back then. With a little luck and a whole lot of faith, I believe I am ready for the next test that life brings my way.
My 62nd birthday is just days away. As I was thinking about this particular birthday and the long, hot days of Indian Summer, and my lack of patience, a vivid memory leaped to mind. It was a Friday, September 1969. School had let out for the day and mother picked me up at the high school to take me to get my drivers license. The day was a scorcher, however, it was a game day so I had worn my pep club outfit to school. The outfit consisted of a heavy wool sweater, long sleeve shirt, and a wool skirt. I was hot and uncomfortable. And, as if that wasn't enough, our car had no air conditioning and no power steering.
I was stressed. Hot, miserable, and terrified of the man giving the test, I began to sweat profusely and feel nauseated. But, I was determined to take the test and nothing was going to stop me. Everything was going okay until my attempts to parallel park. It was a disaster and when we arrived back at the tag office, Mr. Test Giver informed me that I had failed to pass the test. I was devastated.
Mother had to drive us home which was not part of my original plan. I sat in the passenger seat and sulked all the way home. I was embarrassed to go home and inform daddy and all my family that I had failed the test. Worse than that, I would have to tell my friends that I had flunked.
But, I was a stubborn kid and I was not going to let this one failure keep me from the thing I wanted more than anything in the world -- and that was a drivers license.
So, several days later and with a little more practice in parallel parking, I believed I was ready to face Mr. Test Giver a second time. On the day of the test, I dressed more appropriate for stress and weather and armed with dogged determination and a strong will to reach my goal, I aced the test.
That was probably one of the first big failures in my life. At the time, little did I know there would be many more failures in my future. I never dreamed that there could even be anything worse than failing a driving test.
I have failed many other tests in my life and some of them are embarrassing and some of them have made me a better person. Some of the tests taught me valuable lessons and some I have actually taken over and over and over again. I guess it all goes to remind me that just because I have failed a few tests along life's way, I am not a failure. In my mind and in my heart, I am the same determined and strong-willed girl that I was back then. With a little luck and a whole lot of faith, I believe I am ready for the next test that life brings my way.
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
FALL BRINGS CHANGE & MEMORIES
Fall brings changes. Changes in temperatures and color. Changes in time and attitudes. Changes in the things we do for pleasure. Changes in the foods we eat and in the clothes we wear. Change is good and welcome.
Along with change, Fall also brings memories.
A few years ago, as I rode my bicycle through the neighborhood late one autumn afternoon, I had a peculiar experience. The leaves were falling and blowing about and there was a chill in the air. No one was on the street but me on my bike. A lonely, nostalgic feeling embraced me and I suddenly remembered a scene from "To Kill a Mockingbird" where Scout is dressed in her Halloween costume and walking down a dark and spooky street.
As I was pedaling my bike, I felt transported into that scene and could actually sense the mystery and suspense that she experienced. It was an extraordinary memory in which I perceived a very real moment and a familiar literary moment were actually one and the same. I will always remember that odd and unusual experience where the past and the present collided into one magical explosion of fantasy and reality.
Along with change, Fall also brings memories.
A few years ago, as I rode my bicycle through the neighborhood late one autumn afternoon, I had a peculiar experience. The leaves were falling and blowing about and there was a chill in the air. No one was on the street but me on my bike. A lonely, nostalgic feeling embraced me and I suddenly remembered a scene from "To Kill a Mockingbird" where Scout is dressed in her Halloween costume and walking down a dark and spooky street.
As I was pedaling my bike, I felt transported into that scene and could actually sense the mystery and suspense that she experienced. It was an extraordinary memory in which I perceived a very real moment and a familiar literary moment were actually one and the same. I will always remember that odd and unusual experience where the past and the present collided into one magical explosion of fantasy and reality.
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