Daddy and I were talking about his birthday recently:

Me:  So…chocolate cake or chocolate pie this year for your big day?

Pop:  Both, but probably pie before cake.

Me:  It’s my birthday after yours, so I’ll make pie for you and then cake for me.

Pop:  See; I still get both and can pretend they’re both for me.

Me:  How old are you on this birthday Daddy?

Pop:  Age is just a number, Bethy. If we’re lucky enough, we all get to a number we cannot remember – or – we just don’t count that high anymore. Laugh and find the JOY in it!

A few years ago as we moved east, a close friend gave me a map with the phrase: “Find JOY in the Journey!” She understands. We’ve been each other’s “JOY” partners through several years of life’s complicated twists on our journeys.

So now it’s July and like Christmas around here because we have numerous birthdays in our family this month. July is also the month I see a minimum of six medical professionals for what I affectionately call “the annual hopeful-wellness tour.” Like the Hotel California, I can check out anytime, but apparently I can never leave. The various labs, scans, and other diagnostic tests commence with their recent findings, comparisons, markers, and results. I work to complete this medical tour before my actual birthday so I can (hopefully) breathe a little easier while celebrating another year, and in all honesty, eat lots of cake!

Much has been studied and read on the art and science of aging gracefully. As time marches on across this body, I stand amazed at the resilience, stamina, and perseverance involved in this aging process. Getting older and staying healthy are full-time bonus careers some days. Many of my closest friends serve as exceptional examples on the art and science of aging in mercy and grace. They make it appear simple, but I know the reality is not easy. Balance and strength, wrinkles and scars, medications and lifestyle adjustments—these are the raw physical, mental, social, and emotional parts requiring expert whack-a-mole skills most days. I can (but won’t) show you an Amtrak system of scars across my body; each one serves as a reminder to how much stronger I was than what tried to stop me. I am not alone. Study the faces and body language of others as you wait in the various clinic areas, treatment rooms, or labs next time. Whole conversations take place, yet not one word is spoken aloud because grace and mercy often speak without words.

The best gift to this aging process is the wisdom gained during all this life living. Learning on the road of life, with its constant twists and turns, brings remarkable surprises and rewards. Most of us learn best by doing, so the life lessons we experience leave a vast wealth of knowledge, even in the midst of healing wounds still tender to the touch.

Aging is simple; just not easy. Adding another year while staying active and well are full-time jobs. Most of us are fortunate to do it! Aging gracefully takes the will to show up every day, to believe in yourself and others, to pay attention, and to be open to pivots and possibilities. Sometimes I’m so busy holding on I forget the importance of simply letting go. And outcomes, in the long run, the doing and getting there is usually greater than the final outcome. Mom was right: “Living is in the journey, not the final destination.”

So, here I go wandering into my diamond decade, joining other sixty-somethings born in the 1960’s. Daddy’s attitude is right. Age IS just a number. Life is short; count the life in the years. With the opportunity to age onward, counting is optional. Remember to laugh and find JOY in the journey! 😊  

Happy Birthday and celebrate BIG all you July babies! Please take care of yourself as you care and celebrate with others! 😊