Turning 60!
By Sandra Post | 3rd July 2008
This coming of age, a.k.a. turning 60, is complicated and requires considerable introspection.
Looking inward is not difficult for me. My dear husband, who doesn’t share my need to multi-examine priorities, values, and life in general, once told me, “you can analyze the life right out of a situation.” Seemed harsh as he said it, but he knows me well.
I’ve taken to heart Socrates’ proclamation that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” At some point though, living trumps examining. Time spent looking inward should eventually result in a greater quality of life. And quality is defined differently by each individual.
Turning 60 was huge. Maybe because it didn’t seem to me as if enough years had gone by for me to be 60. Calendars say otherwise, offering more accurate proof than my feelings.
This looking inward is about more than just the age I’ve reached. Three recent happenings have given me much to consider. A very good friend and neighbor, with whom I’ve shared countless fun times and family celebrations, along with comforting each other through sadness and the death of our parents and her husband, was recently diagnosed with cancer. The day-to-day living we so take for granted can be interrupted immediately, without a return to the bliss of just another “typical” day. Her life now centers around doctors’ visits, medical procedures, and the stress of wondering about myriad unknowns. None of us have a market on certainty, but we often live as though we do. It’s a lesson I’m striving to learn.
Living in the moment is heralded by spiritual writers and speakers. I struggle to achieve it, although I was recently presented with delightful opportunities for improving. My granddaughter, Lili, spent a week with me during her parent’s European vacation. I’d forgotten the challenge of daily tasks while in the company of a talkative, inquisitive, two-year-old. One particularly beautiful day, we spent considerable time outside. My mind kept revisiting my lengthy to-do list, while Lili distracted me with her constant chatter as we lunched on the deck and enjoyed swinging in the sunshine. I realized that time was mine to enjoy or to waste fussing about less important details. I chose to focus and enjoy. Those moments don’t provide second chances.
Event number three was a visit to my niece and her family in Virginia. I always return home from there feeling rejuvenated, determined to get organized, and sadly out of touch with the modern world. I don’t text message, do not have an entry on facebook, still use a phone book, don’t speak or know the language of today’s amazing electronic capabilities, and still use and enjoy the services of the US mail. I always planned to stay current, but life got in the way and now I feel hopelessly behind.
The present challenge for me is prioritizing. Doing it all is impossible. Time and resources are limited, so choices must be made. I feel like an adolescent again, looking for my life’s path. Of this I’m certain, my chosen pathway must be kind, compassionate, spiritual and free of mind-clogging clutter. Optimism, laughter, faith, family and friends are my companions. The direction remains unclear, but it will be graced with the mystery and wonder of all God’s creation. Let the journey begin.