© Carol Aldinger
Celebrating your seventies? Why not! Wise woman Carol Aldinger first posted her ruminations on this milestone on our Celebrate What’s Right With The World Facebook page. I was so inspired, I begged her to let me post it for all of us on Menopause Goddess Blog. Not since “When I’m An Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple” has a piece filled me with so much joy and hope about our aging. Or should I say ripening. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Oh, and yes, the photograph is Carol, walking her talk. Rowrrrrr.
“Wasn’t it just the other day, I looked ahead to the far distant future, the turn of the century to a new millennium? That was a date so far in the future it was incomprehensible to a 30 year old gal. My thoughts ran like this: Lets see, in 2000 I’ll be HOW OLD? No way. Fifty Six!!! I’ll be ancient!
Somewhere in my thirties, I had an epiphany. I quit caring what other people thought about me and what I looked like/ acted like/ was. It was liberating! Exhilarating! And so much fun just being myself!
We experienced the miracle of birth twice, and raised two wonderful offspring, who succeeded in their own lives marvelously. We went out to the wilds every chance we had, and taught our kids the wonders and beauties of that natural world. They still love it nearly as much as we do!
Hubby had a successful career and unusual for an engineer managed to put in 30 years at one location, allowing us to stay in this adopted state we’ve come to love.
Then he retired, and after two uneventful years trying to travel the western states, and finding it an empty cup, we found a whole new calling, as volunteers for the Forest Service at a visitor center only 70 miles from our home. It allowed us to LIVE in our mountains, and to share with travelers the hidden gems and secret places of our region. What a joy!
Well, 50 came and went with barely a ripple in my life, then 60. Yes, I think 60 is the new 50. But now……… this one is scary – 70. Time to take stock.
The past? Pretty darn Good! Plus
How do I feel? With my hands of course. Seriously? No major health problems. Plus
Eyes? I can see pretty darn well, and my glasses don’t have coke bottle lenses. Plus
Ok, so I have astigmatism and every picture I take comes out crooked. Correctable.
I can enjoy the splendor of a sunset, the mystery of a flower petal, the beauty in a winter landscape, and the sunshine of a child’s smile.
Hearing? No hearing aid required, and if people don’t speak quite as clearly as they used to, I can still hear the glorious spring chorus of birds, the giggly laughter of children in the park near our home, the babbles of the various creeks and streams when we’re in the mountains. Plus
Nose? I can smell with ease the perfume of my neighbor’s lilacs, the subtler scent of our apple tree in bloom, the yummy smells in a bakery, the cat’s sandbox, (oops) and a hundred others. Plus
Taste? I can relish Chocolate! Nuf said. Plus
Touch? The softness of my kitties’ ears and nose! The tickle of a butterfly. The delicate texture of a shiny new leaf or flower petal. All these I can feel and so much
more. Plus
Weight? Back where it should have been 20 years ago when we still backpacked! Plus
Ease of movement? Range of motion of some joints isn’t as good as it was once upon a time. Minus
But: Even though our hiking range has slowly become shorter and shorter, from 16 miles down to 7 or 8, WE CAN STILL HIT THE TRAIL, explore, enjoy all the places that were too close to consider a decade or two ago. On the whole this one gets a Plus too. Plus
Taken in total, Life is Good! We are lucky! Of all our neighbors, some our age, some younger, we are the healthiest folks on our block!
So, if I choose to run through the sprinkler, shout at the full moon, make echos in culverts, just laugh with me! Even better, unleash your inner child and come join me!
Time to Celebrate what’s right with my life!”
Come on over and check out the Celebrate What’s Right FB page – and post your own celebrations! Let’s hear it for less cable news and more celebrating what’s right with the world!
