Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Will You Still Need Me, Will You Still Feed Me, When I'm 64?

Some people never grow up…and I am proud to count myself part of that illustrious group, in spite of the arrival today of yet another birthday!
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Chronological markers play only a part in the cycle of aging, after all. I have talked to teenagers so jaded and cool that they’re old before their time…and met seniors who have never lost the sparkle in their eyes. Spirit isn’t defined by time, nor is there an age limit on one’s enthusiasm and sense of anticipation. While my body knows without a doubt it is no longer young, my inner child recalls with stunning clarity what it was like to be eleven… remembers with every fibre of her being how she marveled at the breadth of the Great Lakes and was rendered breathless by her first Canadian snowfall.
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 Snowfalls still enchant me, and if I ever get back to Lake Huron, I will rush forward with pure glee and throw myself in head first, clothes and all!
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Today, I turn into a Beatles tune, the very song I belted out cheerfully as a teenager, never grasping for a moment that one day I, too, would be that age. I admit to bewilderment at how quickly I got to this point.
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Throughout the years, I’ve struggled to be decorous. I’ve played the role of good daughter to aging parents, supportive wife to a long-time husband, responsible example for growing offspring to emulate, (all right, this last one may not have been carried off with great success, if my chortling adult children are to be believed)! Still, I’m universally recognized as a dutiful employee, a dependable friend, and an all-round decent person
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I am, however, no angel and often chafe at life’s restraints. The girl inside me enjoys a good spot of fun and still fancies shaking up the status quo on occasion, no matter how mild an exterior she displays to the world. I do think she’s entitled to get out and play a little more often now after her many years of patience!
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Turning 64 doesn't make me old.
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I think I'll know I’m old when I’m described as ‘sedate’, or am said to have ‘settled down’. Yuk!
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And the day - heaven forbid! – when I’m held up as a role model to anyone…. then I’ll know I’m old!
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Until then, I will unapologetically crunch on candy necklaces in public, fill my pockets with rocks and treasures picked up from the ground and splash happily through rain puddles in my bare feet whenever the urge takes me. I’ll dissolve into giggles at the slightest hint of mischief, and will never, ever get too old to laugh at my own foibles.


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 I will play hide-and-seek with tiny friends, though scrunching up in closets has become a challenge, and will return their little girl hugs with all the fervor kids put into every second of their lives. Birthdays are just another day, filled with endless possibilities as each one is! There are shells waiting to be gathered at the beach, puffy clouds to be watched and wondered at, and stories clamoring to be written down. Of course, I will also wash dishes, weed the garden and mop the floor, as mature adults must.
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But there is a big bottle of bubbles I bought last week that has yet to be opened…trying to get a good shot of a fleeting, iridescent bubble should amuse my child-like sensibilities for quite some time!
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21 comments:

Debby said...

Great post. I love your outlook on birthdays. They are to be celebrated. We are not old. Bodies maybe, at least mine esp. this morning. Our spirits are young forever.
Beautiful pictures.

Lois Evensen said...

Happy Birthday! Yes, getting older is just another part of a wonderful life. I'm glad my Mom instilled that in me so that I'm enjoying my age, not fighting it. What a wonderful post. :)

Kay L. Davies said...

Lynette, this is SO you. Wonderful. And I agree perfectly. I bought two big bubble bottles the day of my grandniece's 4th birthday, and I was the one jumping up and down, saying, "Let's go outside to blow bubbles!"
You would have liked my mom. She didn't believe in growing up, either. My brother and sister-in-law are here visiting, and they would agree, that was her motto: enjoy each day as it comes, and you'll never grow old.
Happy happy!
Luv, K

Deborah said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
I do so agree with you, they say growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional ... I'm opting not too :o)
I hope you have a WONDERFUL day Lynette x

jabblog said...

Happy, Happy Birthday:-) It is a shock to realise that the person in the mirror is a true reflection of the outer trappings of the young person inside. There's a simple solution - get rid of all the mirrors;-)

Angela said...

So well said! I'll be joining you in November and I'm happy to say that my "little girl" is alive and playful!!

Bubba said...

Happy one day older than yesterday, for that's all we ever are. :)

Penelope Notes said...

A playful attitude is ageless and timeless possibly because it is gained by enjoying moments that could suddenly burst. Some people have a greater appreciation of life when they age than they did as children. Happy birthday, Lynette, and congratulations on keeping your youthful spark alive. :)

joo said...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!!!!
Lovely post and lovely words - there are people who are always old,and others who are always young. After all is a state of mind, isn't it? You'll be always young Lynette:)
Big hug and will drink a glass for you!

adrielleroyale said...

Happy Birthday to you!!!! I knew I liked you for more than your pictures and writings! I love meeting people who enjoy life and never dwell on the number of years they have lived! :) I've met too many 80 yr old 35 year olds and not enough 25 year old 60 year olds... I will never admit to being "old", not now, and not when I'm 90. So glad to have met a fellow lively spirit! May your day be filled with joy and your year be better than all the rest before. Blessings!! :)

Pat said...

Happy 64th Birthday, Lynette!! I'll be that age in 6 1/2 months. I love your post, both pictures and prose, and I echo those sentiments. Once our kids are all grown up, we can kick off our shoes and dance. My sister and cousin and I all sang karaoke for the first time ever at the family reunion last Saturday. We sang "I Saw Her Standing there" and "Wild Thing" among others and we were rockin out...had a blast!

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Happy, happy birthday! Only one year to go until it's FREE GOVERNMENT MONEY TIME!!!!

Anonymous said...

Happy birthday! Love your philosophy - I feel the same way!

Petronela said...

64 is a lovely age. I know a lot of men and women who look great and live a beautiful life and I don't mean cruises around the world, I mean jogging, looking good, having fun, going out with the family..I think it is up to each of us how we make our life. Kisses.

Katy Cameron said...

Happy birthday! You just need to tell people that 'When I'm old I shall wear purple' poem, it'll explain everything ;o)

rapunzel said...

Happy Birthday! Love the bubbles. Never too old for bubbles. :)

Sherry Blue Sky said...

I so love this! It is "so you" indeed! I love the idea of you hiding in closets, and can just see the "chortling adult children" falling over laughing at your statement, hee hee. I love the bubble shots. Bubbles are among my favorite things! Our challenge this year? Trying to put our coats on right-side-up:)

the wild magnolia said...

Happy Birthday! Many happy returns of the day.

Kit said...

You have a wonderful way of looking at things. I love your live each day to the fullest attitude. You go girl! Kit

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

This was a great post!!! I hope I am one of those people (even older than that magic age) who is still young at heart. (It's easy right now when we have the little ones near, how can you help it?) But I try to keep that attitude all the time. NIce post and thank you so much for it. (Although I do have a certain tune stuck in my brain now...there sure could be worse ones there!)

Lonicera said...

What a lovely photographic idea - MUST try it!
Caroline