Banishing the Curmudgeon

A small boy that lives down the street did something tonight that vats of lotion and vials of extra-potency vitamins haven’t been able to do. He banished a curmudgeon. One minute it was there, residing inside my body. The next…*POOF*…vanished!

Today had been a long day. It was only an eight hour work day, but I had to drive to three different stores to get those hours – on a day that hit 104°. At home I discovered that I’d forgotten to take anything out of the freezer for dinner and I simply didn’t feel like messing with anything in the kitchen anyway. So my better half (probably in the interest of their own safety!) offered to have something delivered.

That was a wonderful solution. Except, we’ve been having internet connection problems since a storm had rolled through north Texas a week ago. It’s almost been like the old dial-up days, when and if we were graced with being able to get a connection. After almost 30 minutes of in-and-out service, trying to see different restaurant menu options that we could have delivered, we finally decided that I’d just drive to Taco Bell a mile away and get it.

I finally left the house, at almost 8 p.m. and on top of being tired and cranky – now I was hungry, too.

I got in the car and saw that a slew of neighborhood children were riding bicycles up and down the street. In a pack from side to side. The youngest, who looked to be about five-years old, was quite a bit on the wobbly side.

Grumbling to myself, I backed out slowly and very carefully. By now the little hoodlums were about two houses down. They’re really not hoodlums. They’re all too young for that. It’s just that I was feeling old and crotchety at the moment. I’ve only just turned sixty a month ago, but I felt like I was the old codger at the end of the block, out in the front yard waving their cane at all the boisterous neighborhood children.

Down the street I drove, about ten miles per hour, if that. I drove exceptionally slowly so that if any of them fell, or decided to dash across in front of me, I’d be able to stop.

Yep. I was feeling old right. And, did I mention the cranky part?

All the children were on bicycles except one. One little barefoot boy, probably six or seven years old, took off running along the side of the street, as if he was racing me. At the slow pace I drove, he just about beat me. It was neck and neck. He raced along and I poked along (still worried about him making a sudden jog in front of me).

He sped along as fast as his little legs could go for about the length of two houses. Then suddenly he stopped, looked up, threw me the sweetest grin, and waved.

Poof. The elderly, cranky old lady who had been inhabiting my body vanished in an instant. A grin and a wave from a sweet, innocent child that I don’t even know removed about fifty years from my life and I was suddenly a carefree ten-year-old racing a friend down the street.

All those creams and lotions that tote their claims about removing years? All those extra-strength, high potency vitamins that promise youth and vitality? They’re all worthless. I discovered that none of them work as well as one young grin.

I’m looking forward to another race tomorrow. You can tell by the grin on my own face, even if it’s lined with a few more wrinkles than my young friend’s face is.

Adding Joy #MLSTL

At the beginning of 2018 I wrote these words about choosing three words for 2018 – Authentic, Action, and Joyful.

As I sat scrolling through my emails, I read an email about a lady that switched from choosing one word to focus on in the new year – to three words, as recommended by Chris Brogan.

What a great idea! For several years I’ve read of people choosing one word. But with my Gemini spirit trying to travel in a multitude of directions, choosing just one never seemed to quite fit what my goals were for the year. If many different writing and career goals weren’t enough, when you add in the additional layers of mind-body-spirit that I’d like to improve, I never found one word to do the whole job.

I like the three word idea. The three words I’m choosing on for 2018 are ‘Authentic‘, ‘Action‘, and ‘Joyful.’ These three words will encompass my goals for the year, both in business and in my personal life.

Here we are starting July and the year is half way over. Each day I see these three words that are on a Post-It note on my monitor. Yet…I don’t really ‘see’ these word each day. Do you have the same problem – once something is in a place for a bit, you never really see it? Oh, a few times a week I notice it, but usually it become invisible for most of the time I spend in front of the computer screen.

As we’re halfway through the year, I ponder about how well I’ve incorporated these three words into my life so far in 2018. I’m happy with authentic. I think that a majority of my decisions and actions have been authentic with the true person I am. I’m happy with action. I’ve made some huge strides this year towards the goals I’ve set for myself. Joyful? Now on that one I’m not as pleased with my progress. The past two month especially, have been crazy and frantic as I’ve made steps towards where I want to be in life with this turning of the meter going to 60. Yet joyful has been painfully absent from too many of my days.

Luckily there’s still half a year ahead of us. Now I need to make a conscious effort to incorporate more joy into every day.

Have you ever had a ‘word of the year?’ Were you able to consistently incorporate it into you daily life? What was the words you’ve chosen?

Perks of Reaching 60 (or 70 or 80)

Today I’m doing double time with this blog. This is my ‘P’ blog for the A to Z Blog Challenge. It’s also the first time I’m participating with the Midlife Share the Love Party, where bloggers over 45 post about their midlife journey. The posts I’m sharing during April are snippets of a book I’m working on – Embracing 60. Some days I embrace the upcoming milestone birthday…other days not so much. It depends on what day you catch me on. But it’s coming anyway – regardless of whether I embrace it or dread it, so I may as well be optimistic and look at the positive aspects of this new decade.

Perks of Reaching 60 (or 70 or 80)

Ah, the joys of Facebook. Facebook has infiltrated our lives. Well, most of our lives. I think I know three people that aren’t on Facebook. Some only get on once in a blue moon, some hop on every few days, some check once a day…and then there are those that just about live on it. No, I’m not going to start naming names!

Personally, I’m of the check it once a day camp. Although there are times if something is happening in one of my groups, or I have a lot of extra activity like book sales or launches, then I spend more time on this time popular social media site.

My favorites are the feel-good videos, where people have reached out and done something extraordinary, or animals are rescued or are caring for each other. You know, the clips that tug at your heart and sometimes bring a tear to your eye.

Today this little ditty caught my eye. Most probably because I’m writing about the joys of turning 60 and I attempt to embrace this new larger number that will enter my life in a few short months. I had to chuckle when I saw this. I don’t know where it originated from, so I can’t give credit to the source.

Perks of reaching 60 – or being over 70 and heading towards 80!

1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2. In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run – anywhere.
4. People call at 8 PM and ask: “Did I wake you?”
5. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
6. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
7. Things you buy now won’t wear out.
8. You can eat supper at 5 PM.
9. You can live without sex but not your glasses.
10. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
11. You can’t remember who sent you this list.
12. And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.

Forward this to everyone you can remember right now! And remember, never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping bill and a laxative on the same night!

I disagree with a few of the statements. Like Number 6. I think there are still some things to learn the hard way, although it’s probably true that we’ve covered most of the bases by now. On some of the others I was laughing too hard to voice any disagreement. But I’m discovering that the more I laugh about this upcoming milestone, the better I feel about myself and the less I seem to dread it. On most days. However, tomorrow may be a different story.

Although, when I think back about how much I was really dreading ’30’ I laugh. Oh, it was such a big deal back then. I joked to my mom that my 29th birthday was going to be the last one I celebrated, because there was no way I was going to continue on and turn 30. So she threw me a huge, surprise party for my 29th, complete with the sexy, Latin stripper. And here I am – now about to double that age. Now, 30 seems like such a baby. In fact my own baby just turned 30 himself a week ago. So I look back and laugh at my younger self…all the while knowing that as I’m dreading turning 80, I’ll be looking back and laughing at my 60-year old self.