I'm a Vintage Year

Today is my 49th birthday. I keep saying it aloud to myself. It's a strange thing to hear. Stranger still when I think that this is actually the beginning of my 50th year. Half a century... Me.... Weird.

I'm happy to be 49. I'm not one of those women who feels she needs to hide behind a younger age. I've earned the grey hairs I have. The fine lines that are beginning to show around my eyes and in my laugh lines, are signs that I've lived, laughed (a lot), loved, and cried. They're signs that I'm not numb to my life. Like a well used leather jacket, the stories are in the worn spots.

I'm not old. I'm a vintage year.

The other day a younger friend, mostly teasing, asked if I had any "words of wisdom from my aged perspective." I do, but let me just say that said friend has moved from my Christmas list to my Shit list. Booger. You know who you are.

Words of Wisdom from a 49 Year Old Gypsy:

~ Be kind. Be kind to yourself so that you can be kind to others. It begins within, folks.

~ Good things don't come to those who wait. Good things come to those of us who allow good things.

~ Eat cake = my way of saying, "Do something fun every day." Listen to a tune that gets your toes tapping, read something funny, share a joke, take a bubble bath and play with the bubbles, dance. Do it early and set the tone for the day.

~ You can't walk in someone else's shoes. Ever. But you can offer them a hand up over the big rocks, and you can give them a blanket when they're cold, and a hug when they're feeling alone. Foot rubs are nice too - even our own shoes can feel a little pinchy and uncomfortable now and then.

~ Let people help you. They aren't offering help because they see you as some pitiful charity case, but because they care about you and it makes them feel good to help. Let them feel good.

~ Sometimes the most amazing things to see are microscopic in size. Defining moments are just that. Moments. Be aware.

~ It's really pretty rare that anyone would set out to intentionally hurt your feelings. Try not to greet everything defensively.

~ A sense of humor is as essential to our quality of life as oxygen.

~ If you want true love in your life, understand your own precious worth.

~ Allow yourself to feel everything you need to feel. Just like our physical hot, cold, pleasure and pain receptors, our emotional feelings are there for a reason. If you know how you feel, what you feel, and why you feel that way, you'll know how to react appropriately.

So, that's my basic half a century worth of wisdom. No charge, I've been accumulating it for a while now... happy to share my collection. Easier shared, than done, y'know? Hey, I'm still practicing... I'm just a kid.