Another Year Older

Last week was my birthday. I'm firmly in my mid-fifties, which doesn't seem possible. Time has flown by extremely quickly the last few years. It's difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that my body is aging while my spirit still feels young.

As I grow older, I find myself becoming what my husband calls a delicate desert rose. I have a few health conditions, allergies, wrestle with social anxiety and general awkwardness, and my knee has a mind of its own.

Easter was a couple days before my birthday, so I was able to see both kids and all of my grandkids. I ate some great food and enjoyed the unabashed laughter of kids hunting filled plastic eggs. The eggs weren't all filled with candy (some had money or toys), but I'm sure my grandkids all have enough chocolate to last for several weeks.

We started the day at my stepdaughter's house where she had a huge Easter celebration. Most of the folks in attendance were her fiancé's family. I'm guessing she had close to 50 people in and around her farmhouse.

I'm slowly getting to know some of them. I know the names of maybe a third of the family in attendance, and I'm working on learning the rest. Unfortunately, being around that many people triggers my social anxiety to a point where I fear I'm not very friendly and come off as less than intelligent. I can only imagine what they think of me. Since I can't help that, I try not to worry about it.

After a delicious meal at my stepdaughter' house, we met my stepson's family and his girlfriend's cousins at the park for a huge Easter egg hunt. This was a smaller group, so I was able to relax a bit, even though I only knew four people there.

One of the dads organized a softball game. I watched my granddaughter and some of her cousins learn to play the game that I once played with my own cousins at family gatherings. She tired of the game fairly quickly, but it was fun to watch her hit the ball and run the bases.

Even though it was chilly and windy enough to stir up all of the allergens, I kicked the soccer ball around with my granddaughter a bit. With my bum knee, I never know if I'll be able to do such things without hurting myself, but I don't want to miss the opportunity to make precious memories. My allergies flared, and my knee hurt for a couple a couple of days afterward, but I'm glad I went, even though it was for a short time.

I try to spend as much time as possible with my grandchildren. I'm actually missing my grandson's soccer game tonight due to a horrible cough and excessive sneezing that have grown worse as the day progressed. With it being incredibly windy outside, I know I would be more of a distraction to those watching the game than a good spectator. I can feel my left eye swelling, so I can only image what I would look like by the end of the game. I take heart in knowing my husband is there to cheer on our sweet boy.

Two of the guys in my department were out sick most of the week last week, so I am praying this ickiness I'm feeling is the result of heavy wind gusts and tree pollen. I sure don't want whatever bug my coworker had, and I'm grateful they stayed home while they suffered through it.

Growing older has its challenges, but I'm happy to be here to enjoy the perks. Watching my grandchildren grow, laugh, and learn are precious gifts. I'm thankful to be able to spend time with my family, friends, and my writing community.

Here's to another year--sniffles, creakiness, and all!

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