I’ve always loved having my birthday on August 31st because the end of summer, the refreshing of my senses brought on by the crisp fall weather, going back to school AND being another year older, all meant for me that it was a New Year, a fresh start, and often the chance to try out a “new me.” That hasn’t really changed at all — though it’s nice not to have to buy my shoes a size too large anymore, knowing I’ll “grow into them!”
This year we had a really mellow mini vacation, to celebrate my successful completion of another full orbit of the sun, at our favorite place in McCall — “Beth’s Place” — right on Payette lake. I read, started to learn to play my new yukulele, got in a little painting, and even enjoyed a real fire in the fireplace (once we figured out in which position the flue was “open”).
It was exactly what I needed to mark my 55th.
Then we got home and the accumulated mail was delivered and I thought this little stack pretty much summed up the way I feel about this stage of my life:
Middle-age is the new Neverland.
