Happy birthday to me.

I don't have a picture of me blowing out candles on this computer, so here is one of Jeren blowing out candles! ACtually, I believe these were the candles that you can't blow out. They keep re-lighting. They are fun! and I think he is in the middle of saying something about it.



Well, I've managed to survive on this planet for 60 years. I remember when I was a kid and every summer we belonged to the library's reading club. One time our theme for the reading club was the 21st century. I'm sure (knowing me) that I still have my certificate and the little pin in the shape of a rocket ship. Each year they gave us little pins to illustrate the theme which we wore proudly on our visits to the library. Everyone believed in the 1960's that rocket ship travel would be quite common by now. It is not.
I can remember thinking how far away 2000 seemed. There was this saying that most people I know used when things were going slow. "Maybe by the year 2000." There were other variations on it, but it was widely used as a way of conveying the thought that things were going slow or might never happen. It seemed so far, far away. 2000. A completely new century. A whole new era of traveling in rocket ships and far out space outfits and living on the moon.
Here we are in 2010. It went by pretty fast. We are not really doing any of that stuff. We have some pretty streamlined cars and planes, but we are not planet hopping and jumping on rockets to get places.
60 really doesn't feel much different than 15 in many ways. Of course, physically speaking, it is way different. I can still do the splits. Not sure why, because I CANNOT lean over to pick something up off the floor. Well, I CAN, but there is always that fear that I will not be able to straighten back up and/or will fall over. I have found that if I throw my right leg out behind me that I can lean over with balance, but there is still that fear about not being able to straighten back up. The body is a little stiffer and less cooperative. Things hurt that never hurt before and, I have actually found that lids do get harder to remove from jars. I can't swing my hammer as well. Nails that I used to be able to sink with two to three hits are now taking me four to five hits. Using the hammer to take out nails is also a little harder.
Overall, I've fared pretty well, though, and looking forward to the next ten years. I figure every day I wake up is a blessing and all good things beyond that are serendipity! I'm looking forward to retirement, although who knows if I really will retire. I miss staying at home, but working keeps me from being a complete hermit. Left to my own devices I'm not sure I would venture out much. So I'm another year older, hopefully at least a little bit wiser and ready to attack the next decade with gusto!
Thanks mom! I would be nothing if not for you! I Love you!