"If I Could Save Time In A Bottle"...Embracing Our Authentic Selves - Celebrate Life

Patty began writing in 2003, after a 30 year hiatus! She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee
with her husband of twenty years, and our six feline children
Proudly, she turns fifty in 2006!

Celebrate Life

Happy Birthday! Remember when those words meant a celebration with
cake, ice cream, gifts wrapped in festive paper, and parties? Those
were the days before low carbs & fat grams were a priority. Our
bathroom cabinets weren’t clogged with bottles of miracle wrinkle and
cellulite creams. And we were never too tired to party. What happened
when we turned forty, forty-five or fifty? Celebrate? Celebrate what?
Wrinkles, creaking knees, grey hair, and 15 extra pounds that refuse to vacate
our bodies? Are these reasons to celebrate?

Maybe this aging process needs to be re-evaluated. Are we approaching
it all wrong?. Consider these concepts. Wrinkles; a tribute to all of our life
experiences. A few extra pounds; just proof we enjoy the input more
than the output! Creaking, stiff body parts; miles we've traveled and
places we've seen. We have survived the comedies and tragedies, sporting
the grey hair to prove it. So why are we complaining? We should be
celebrating our accomplishments. Sharing our stories and disappointments
with those following in our footsteps. An example that middle age CAN be a
renewal of youth.

How are you spending the mid-life years? Have reality shows become a
part of your nightly routine? Spending hours with e-mailing and web
surfing? Need a nap before dinner? Is your idea of an adventure having jalapenos
on your nachos (after all you do have that economy size bottle of antacid)?
So live a little!

Sound familiar? Sinking into the middle age mire? A recent conversation
with old friends provided the opportunity to reflect on our lives. What happened?
Our goals, projects, and the adventures we planned had been abandoned? What
were we trying to do, preserve ourselves for old age by playing it safe and getting
our rest? The grim reaper would just have to wait.

I began by making a list of those plans that were made along the way, but put off
until someday. Not wanting to shock my poor body and burn out too quickly, I
started slow with small goals. However, I soon discovered that a daily routine of
walking gave me more energy. Those Spanish and Wine Appreciation courses I had
always promised myself became a reality. And the long dreaded chore of sorting
through years of photographs went fast when I tossed the out of focus ones.This led to the ever popular task of ridding my closet of STUFF. Do we really need
complete sets of “fat clothes” and “I will get into these again.” Let’s be realistic.
Do you really need to keep that cute strapless dress you wore in 1973? How many
pairs of black pants do you own? Why do you still have all those high
school year books? Did those people still look eighteen at your twenty-fifth
reunion? I found ridding myself of closet clutter gave me a new sense of freedom.

On to tackling the adventures. Whitewater rafting, learning to water
ski, and ride a motorcycle topped my list. What was stopping me? Was I too old?
I didn't think so!

Your list can be as adventurous as you like. The idea is to do something.
Get off the sofa and quit moping. Join a group or club. They range from
the mundane to the physically challenging. Do book or travel clubs appeal
to you? Or are you ready to tackle hiking, mountain biking or canoeing?
I’m sure you have friends with the same getting old feelings. A new venture
is easier when shared. A new experience can cost as little or much as you want. Time can be your
only investment. And you’re going to have more now without the hour
long nap before dinner.

John Lennon's quote sums it up nicely. "Life is what is happening when you
are busy making plans." So get up, quit making those someday plans. The world
awaits and the clock is ticking. I would rather be interesting and without regrets
when I retire to my rocker at ninety. Wouldn't you?