Reflections on Turning 63

 

I celebrated my 63rd birthday a few weeks ago. I’m not sure how I got here. I recall snippets of memories from my childhood, my teens, my university years, my party days, my first marriage, my life overseas, and the last 18 years in rural Virginia enjoying a healthy relationship, 3 acres of rocky ridge land, a plethora of cats,  wine tasting, great cooking, a mesmerizing fountain, and peaceful hours reading books, enjoying the sounds of nature, my few excellent friends and contentment. 

Sometimes it feels as if I’ve lived several lives…like the Shakespeare quote about an actor playing many roles. But what really resonates with me is my desire to reconnect and embrace my Midwestern roots. Virginia is my home. I’ve found family history in Winchester back to the Revolutionary War. It is where I am settled and at peace.

But, I owe my foundation, my ethics, my code, my belief system to where I was raised In Logansport, Indiana.

My husband, a native of Lennawee County, Michigan, feels the same. We are who we are because of the way we were raised, to believe in fairness, law & order, the miracle of the USA and its Constitution, the concept that we are all created equal and deserve equal opportunities, that it is necessary to work hard to achieve success, that giving back to community is important, the golden rule, acceptance of people for who they are, and that kindness is always the right way to go.

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, successes and failures, joys and heartache, good fortune and challenges, highs and lows, celebrations and depression. But overall, I know I have been blessed. Even the difficult times when I thought I would not be able to crawl out of the abyss to see the light again, I’ve found the strength to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes.

Lessons I’ve learned helped me to reset my hard drive from a place of negativity to an attitude of positivity. If I can do that, so can you. Celebrate the beauty in every day and practice an attitude of gratitude. It will change your life. It changed mine and helped me to accept the aging process with joy, humility and gratitude.