In the words of my dear father......and it happened so quickly.....
And, to quote my beloved, late Uncle Patsy......the first 100 years are the hardest....
Those Carr boys always know/knew exactly what to say......
Funny how the years are counted.
There I was....just getting my 50 on and all of a sudden....here I am.....I'm 51.
A few friends kindly reminded me that 51 means that I am in my 52nd year....which means that last week, I was in my 51st year.
What that means is that our age is actually a number that we are awarded only when we successfully complete a certain number of years.
Which, I suppose means that....well.....who in the hell cares?
It's all symantics.
And numbers.
Ugh.
Never liked symantics.
Never liked numbers.
I just like celebrations and parties and gifts and hoopla.
Oh, and shoes.
Let's not forget shoes.
You know....I guess there's something to be said for the way years are counted and birthdays are awarded....
Because....successful completion of anything is worthy of celebration.
So, no matter if you finish a 5 mile race, a tough project at work, a pile of laundry, a big weight loss or even a small one--a party should erupt.
We should revel in the fact that we did it.
Even successfully getting through an hour, a day, a week or a month should be looked at that way.
But, somehow, we tend to forget how to live in the moment and conclude by saying hey look at me, send up the fireworks, send in the clowns, give me a standing ovation!
And, of course, we'd be so busy celebrating and partying that we wouldn't have time for much else.....
Doesn't sound so bad....does it?
Hmmm.
So, why aren't we doing it?
The problem, the way I see it, is that we are so busy getting on to the next thing or analyzing what we just accomplished that we either don't take the time to recognize the importance of it all or we don't think it's worthy enough of recognition. And, an even bigger problem is that we don't feel empowered enough to applaud ourselves!!!! We're led to believe that life has to be hard...it can't always be fun---we can't always be hi-fiving and bowing and shooting off fireworks and smiling and laughing and toasting ourselves!
What kind of a person spends all of their time celebrating and having a grand old time?
Just what kind a person does that?
(a person I'd like to be.....)
Birthdays are a bit different......
We get gifts, we get cards in the mail, we buy ourselves something special, we go on little jaunts, we go out with friends, we eat coconut cream pie, we drink wine, we drink martinis, we dance on tables, we get pedicures, we change our lip color....
We are supposed to celebrate birthdays......
It's very expected.
And, it's perfectly okay.
Completely acceptable.
So, that's just what I did.
No guilt. No excuses. No morning-after regret.
I'm thinking that I should start out my 52nd year by learning to celebrate everything......
Won't you please join me?
6 comments:
I will certainly celebrate with you. So here's to you Judi gal a toast celebrating your 51 years of living. Wishing you many more!!!
L
You've got the right idea Judi. I just usually go to dinner with friends or my husband and I and leave it at that. I am going to make each year a celebration like you do. After all, we don't know how many more we will have and might as well may the best of them all.
People who do all they can, with what they've got, from where they are,
Judi, no matter how puny their actions, how tiny their steps, or how
futile it may seem, simply have more fun. Way.
Of course, to the uninitiated it doesn't appear that way. To them it appears
as if only those taking gigantic leaps, who drive cars with fancy wheels,
have loads of friends, perfect bodies, and fly around the world in First Class
Sleeper Seats, are having fun. But what they don't realize is that we're often
talking about the very same folks, just at different points in their journey.
Coffee, tea, or a brand new Bentley?
The Universe
Happy Birthday.
Never needed much prodding in the celebration department.
As my father says, "If I would have known I would live this long, I would have taken better care of myself!
Here's to taking better care of ourselves!(tinking sound of our martini glasses)
Glad you had a great time! Good words to live by!
Jody
Just when I think you couldn't have a better post.... you go and out-do yourself!!!!
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