Life's a Stitch

According to recent stats, in Canada on the average, you get eight of these. If you reside south of the 49th parallel, you'll average seven. I'm about to have my sixth. I'm talking about the big birthdays that end in zero. They occur every ten years, but over time seem to come faster and more furiously.

The impending event has given me pause to think. I don't feel markedly different than I did on the fifth occasion, but I've pinpointed the occasional feeling of sadness that overcomes me. On my 50th, most of life was behind me, as it is on my 60th. The difference, however, is that this time I'm doing it without a number of significant others. My mother, mother-in-law, two good friends, a dear cousin-in-law, my dog…I guess that's the challenge of getting on, surviving and growing from life's losses and looking forward to better times. 

There are different schools of thought on aging. Some say you die how you've lived, so to back up a step that probably means you age in the same style as you've lived to date. So if you tend toward the miserable and mean you'll probably stay that way right to the very end. I work with seniors and we see all kinds. Anna Quindlen, in her memoir Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake, cites  a poll of 340,000 respondents that shows, after the age of 50, we get happier with age and that stress, anger and sadness all decline the older we get. I'm in on that theory.

So, on the Ides of March I'll be celebrating my 6th BIG Birthday that ends in a zero. I got a present from Scotiabank. You know, I've never been big on presents at birthday gatherings, but this year I'm going to acccept some to ease the pain. The bank reminded me that I am turning 60 (not that I needed reminding and oh, to see it in writing) and I can now enjoy my new senior life and the benefits of their seniors' discount. I'm hoping to enjoy much more than that $1 per month. And we started last night by taking a trip to the airport to pick up a surprise birthday "package:"