When I'm Sixty-Four!

When I'm Sixty-four...

Hey!  How's your day going?  Mine has been super busy.  I have been trying to get ready for a humongous garage sale.  I am feeling rather overwhelmed ... my entire house needs to be on tables.  Maybe I need to have a week long garage sale moving from room to room.  Right now, I have boxes everywhere and need to get things organized.  The realtor is having an open house on Sunday so I need to be sure everything is cleaned up for that.  I am in dire need to take a break ... grab a cup of coffee, a coke or whatever and let's chat awhile.

As usual, I woke up singing some sort of song ... sometimes, I get the words mixed up and have my own song with a medley of other songs.  Anyway, this morning I woke up singing the song, When I'm Sixty-Four. Since I am sixty four, it held special meaning for me. I found this video with the song and wanted to pass it on.  Enjoy!

When the Beatles came to America so many years ago, they brought with them their music, their cropped haircuts, lovely British accent, and dress.  It was in my teenaged years that they grew popular then gradually separated and each developed their own new ways of thinking and making music.  They were a talented bunch of young men and we have been blessed by their contributions to the music world as we know it now.

When they sang the song, When I'm Sixty-four they sang it as young men saying, "many years from now."  When I first sang the song, sixty-four was indeed many years down the road.  It seemed so silly to think of losing my hair and being old.  Today, I'm told that sixty-four is the new fifty-four ... my generation, for the most part, has stayed vibrant and alive.  I like that!

A couple days ago, I had a phone call from my friend, Pam, in California.  She had left a message and was so excited.  When I called her back we had a lively chat.  She told me that she had gone to get her nails done and ended up getting eyelash extensions.  I'd never heard of them and wanted to get the whole scoop.  I could just see her laying on the table for an hour and a half having the lashes applied one at a time.  I asked her about the results and she giggled telling me how much she liked them.  I've worn false eyelashes for years and we continued to share little tidbits of things new we were trying.  She was also getting ready to go back to Minnesota to meet up with other gal pals of mine to go on a bus tour of the Fall foliage in New England.  I told her that I hoped they would call me every now and then and tell me how the trip was going.  I just know that they are going to have a fun time.  Sixty-four is just a number!!

Today, I stood looking in the mirror before getting dressed ... no makeup ... this was what sixty-four looked like for me.  I studied my face ... oh gosh, the brown age spot on my cheek no longer looked like a mole, it had grown ... oh gosh, the lines on my forehead had deepened and I wondered if Botox would be in order ... oh gosh, my hair was sticking up all over and I wondered if I should cut it ... My mind was going a million miles a minute.  As a little girl, I was told that I was the ugliest kid ever so I've always been conscious about putting my best foot forward in how I look and dress.  As I stood there naked to the world and myself, I got quiet and knew contentment.  I was in love with sixty-four and comfortable in my skin.  Yes, my body had changed over the years ... with each surgery, my body has begun to resemble a road map ... the road map to wellness!  With each challenge overcome, the lines on my face have shown courage and compassion.  The age spot on my left cheek ... hours of fun in the sun and working in my garden.  My face and body tells a story ... my story ... sixty-four years of living life!

I keep going back to my trip to Minnesota this past Summer.  It was so good for me.  I felt free and unencumbered by the stressors of life.  I sat with my gal pals and laughed til my sides ached.  It was like being a teenager again.  I can't explain it, but it truly was life changing.  We lifted our drinks and toasted each other and celebrated our lives ... life wasn't over, it was a new beginning.  Did we get together and live in the past?  Maybe, but for only a short time.  We talked of bucket lists and all the things we wanted to do now moving forward.  Life at sixty-four meant newness and a time to discover all the things that we didn't have time for as wives, mothers, and the business that comes with raising a family.

At sixty-four, I value my independence.  I keep myself fit spiritually, mentally, and physically.  Each day brings a new start ... I may not move as fast as I used to but I am able to do what's important.  I savor life one day at a time, making each day count and look forward to tomorrow.  Today, I was thinking about my own bucket list and how I needed to be more focused rather than just letting each day pass by.  Since I value relationships, many of the things in my bucket list include others.  I "bid" hoping that they will want to share my dreams.  I also tell myself to not wait for others to join me ... sometimes, I have to walk on ahead alone!

I've known people who are lonely at sixty-four and I feel that way at times.  As a young mother, I gave of my love and time.  My husband and children were so much of my world and busyness was a way of life.  Once, my children were out of the nest and living lives of their own, I needed to find new ways of redefining myself.  I took and taught classes at church, established new careers and owned my own businesses.  Looking back it seemed like every few years, I was going through a major growth spurt spiritually and mentally.  I often times wondered, if I was making a difference in this world ... I hate to think of myself as just taking up space waiting to die.

When all is said and done, what does sixty-four mean to me?

Sixty-four means finding and savoring love

Sixty-four means accepting self and others

Sixty-four means winning is just not that important

Sixty-four means sharing gained wisdom

Sixty-four means staying youthful in my thinking

Sixty-four means wearing purple

Sixty-four means loving the color red and the vibrancy it brings

Sixty-four means holding God close

Sixty-four means forgiving others who have harmed me

Sixty-four means holding my hand out for reconciliation

Sixty-four means letting go of the past and keeping my eyes on my tomorrows

Sixty-four means keeping a positive outlook

Sixty-four means seizing the opportunity to touch people's lives

Sixty-four means wanting to be important to my family and friends

Sixty-four means shedding a tear when hurt and not apologizing

Sixty-four means letting go of expectations and appreciating what I have

Sixty-four means seizing every opportunity to grow and learn

Sixty-Four means everything doesn't need to be logical

More than anything, I think that as we grow on in years that we want to feel important, loved and accepted.  In days gone by, the elderly were cared for in homes and held in esteem by their families.  I know how much I loved having my mother stay with me the six months before she died.  One night after she passed, I woke up and saw her sitting on the bottom of my bed.  She left me with these words, "I am in a better place."   Was I dreaming?  I am choosing to think that she really was there and that she knew my heart and how much I loved her.

This sixty-four year old will soon be sixty-five in December.  Will I feel differently?  I don't know ... for now, I am content at sixty-four!

I hope that you are enjoying whatever age you are.  I sign off reminding you that you are loved and prayed for ... YA YOU!!



Sixty-four means attending
Grandparent's Day at Nicholas's school!