When I hit thirty, I was almost relieved as I had mourned my twenties for the entirety of my twenty-ninth year. Hitting forty was nothing traumatic so thirty-nine slid by without aging pains.
But this is the day that I turn forty-nine and face the very last birthday in my forties. The big 5-0 looms!
My youth seems to be headed for the cliff named ‘fifty’. Yikes!
Perhaps that doesn’t seem old to you.
Maybe it does to me because my father died at 51.
I can’t stop the clock so I have decided to do my best to make this a great year, one in which I do a lot of things that make me forget how old I am.
I am currently debating whether I should choose forty-nine things – one for every year – or 365 – one for every day. Maybe I could choose 52 – one for each week.
And how ambitious should I be?
Can I become proficient in French in one year?
Is it possible to find an agent and a publisher for one of my novels before I turn fifty?
Balance hormones?
Lose thirty-five pounds?
Build a walled garden?
Make my own wine?
Find out why my wireless printer only works when the stars are aligned with the planet Mars? Or is it when the Moon is in the seventh house and Jupiter aligns with Mars?
Learn how to use my computer effortlessly?
Make peace with my curly hair?
Tour Egypt in a flotilla along the Nile?
Learn how to make fire from a flint rock and a string?
Read every book on my shelf that I haven’t gotten to yet? (Just to be clear on this one, I have been known to purchase the same book twice because I forgot that I had already bought it but hadn’t had the time to read it.)
Contact old friends and acquaintances?
Get a telescoping lens camera and use it to capture images of the black bears, crested grouse and hawks on our Virginia property?
Take down the World War II memories of my remaining uncles who served?
Be ready for Christmas two weeks before I usually am?
See Andrea Bocelli in concert?
Can all of this and more be accomplished?
What do you think? Do you have a suggestion? How about a new name for the blog – something like ‘The 49th Year’ or ‘Flirting with Fifty’?
Is there something you would like to see me do? Tell me what you think of my crazy ideas!
Starting my birthday right! Pain au Chocolat from a local bakery! Who says you must have cake?
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