#SOL

Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength. ~ Betty Friedan

Last week I attended the wedding of the daughter of high school friends. It was so wonderful to share this happy day with them just the way they shared the wedding days of both my son and daughter almost four years ago. Time seems to move more quickly these days. Wasn’t it only yesterday that we were getting married, having babies, going to school shows and soccer games? But I digress.

As I was making my way around the reception space, I ran into a guy who went to the same elementary school as me. We graduated from the eighth grade together, and I hadn’t really seen him in at least 30 years. We engaged in small talk about our kids, our aging mothers, and I of course expounded on how wonderful it was to be a grandparent. We only spoke for about five minutes, but in that short time I was taken aback by something he said. “Don’t you feel like our expiration date is coming up?” Wow, I have never thought about my life in those terms.

No, absolutely not! I do not think about expiring any time soon. Don’t get me wrong. I know the decision is not mine, but I am certainly not dwelling on the end of my life. I am not even sixty for crying out loud! I am enjoying this phase of my life. My husband and I get to do whatever we want whenever we want without having to worry about kids, college tuition, or having dinner on the table every night – just to name a few things.

Oh sure, we worry about our kids and grandkids. Who doesn’t? But being freed of some of the responsibilities of raising a family gives us more time to pursue things that have been left on the back burner for too long (like this blog). No, we are not looking at our expiration dates or “best by” dates. Each day is a day to celebrate the good things life has brought us, to work through the challenges that may come our way, and to plan for future adventures together. The only “date” I am looking at is the one I have planned for this weekend with my husband.