Happy birthday to me!

“Happy birthday! How does it feel to be 62?” As I mentioned earlier this week, my mama has dementia. She called me yesterday morning to wish me happy birthday and just as I was ready to get excited that she remembered my birthday, she asked the above question. I replied, “Well, thank you, but are you 95?” Where does time go? A question I ask myself often, but a birthday seems to conjure up many more questions. How can I be this old? Am I living my best life? Have I achieved the things I wanted at this point? This year, I asked myself all of the above, but I also pondered if I am being appreciative of the little things. As I’ve mentioned before, I am always in search of the silver lining. The joy in little things and trying my best to handle situations and life by keeping it simple. I had a great day yesterday celebrating my birthday. Of course, I spent it here at The Ridge. Spent a little more time outside, watched some Netflix, enjoyed some home cooking and most of all, I spent time with my core circle…my family…the four of us! Amidst our current situation globally, I am sure everyone is looking at things a little differently. We have all been forced to pivot from our normal schedule and daily lives. Long term schedules and goals seem uncertain. It’s “the now” that has taken center stage. If you are a believer like me, you are holding onto hope and trying to stifle the worry. But I am human, so I do worry. I worry about my business making payroll and paying the bills when my machines aren’t running. I worry about having enough supplies to limit trips to town. (Can I just mention, this whole scenario is what Duane has waited for since Y2K!) I worry about the elderly and immune compromised when folks aren’t taking this pandemic seriously. None of us know what the future holds or have a crystal ball, and guess what? It’s all going to be ok. We’ve made it this far by showing up daily and doing our best. Although our world has been turned upside down, we still have the ability to control how we react. Our hopes and dreams aren’t cancelled. We have just been given an opportunity to reevaluate what’s a priority.