A few days ago I wrote that my upcoming sixtieth birthday was distressing to me. Sixty is like a line of demarcation. Once you’re on the back side of sixty, you know without a doubt you’re well into the second half of your life. Okay, you really knew that when you turned 50 - even 40, but you could convince yourself that you’d be one of those folks who live to be 80, 90 or 100. However, celebrating a 120th birthday is beyond the scope of even the most wildly optimistic mind. So I was feeling a little blue about being 60 years old.

Then someone left me a link to Kalyn’s Kitchen. Kalyn celebrated her 60th birthday last December by writing about the 60 things she’s learned in 60 years. Lord knows I’ve learned a lot so far in my life. So, with due regards to Kalyn for the idea, here are my “60 Things I’ve Learned in Sixty Years.”

1. Watching birds on a bird feeder gives one a sense of serenity.
2. It is easier to just DO whatever needs to be done rather than spend time planning to do it.
3. Even when you consciously cherish every possible moment of raising your children, their childhoods still go by much too quickly.
4. Grandchildren might possibly be life’s greatest joy.
5. Outdoor kittens are the perfect pets - for me, at least. Plus they’re great for keeping mice away from the house.
6. Just because I’m not a “dog person” doesn’t mean I’m a bad person - just a person who doesn’t particularly care for dogs. Still, I am glad we have Jake because of the security he provides - even though he takes any piece of paper he can find and shreds it all over the yard. He’s Ron’s dog - so I don’t have to clean up after him.
7. Life can change forever in a second - for the better or for the worse.
8. There is a “world of cancer” that most people are only vaguely aware of - if at all. It’s a world quite different from the world of people who aren’t dealing directly with cancer. It makes me wonder about the other “worlds” out there that I know little, if anything, about.
9. You can handle a lot more than you ever thought you could.
10. Listening to gospel music is both uplifting and comforting - and it brings back a lot of memories.
11. It is worth the time and effort to sit down together as a family for a meal each day - even if “sitting down” consists of side-by-side recliners in front of the TV.
12. While I have done things in my life that I regret, my life likely wouldn’t be as good as it is now if I hadn’t had those regrettable experiences.
13. Sometimes actions that make perfect sense at the time seem ridiculous a few years on down the road.
14. When it comes to blogs and online networking sites, it is better not to respond when someone you love writes something you strongly disagree with. Even though I know this to be true, I don’t always do it.
15. It takes a certain personality to be a salesperson - and I don’t have that certain personality.
16. Timewise, teaching is a great profession for a parent. Money-wise, not so much.
17. Waking early, sipping a cup of coffee and easing into the day is a great way to start the day.
18. Being trustworthy is right at the top of the list of the most important character traits. If you can’t be trusted, traits such as kindness and generosity don’t mean much.
19. It is fun and makes you feel special to find a 4-leaf clover. Some people have a knack for finding them.
20. I am glad I’ve had lots of grand adventures in the past sixty years that I can think about with a smile.
21. It is good to look forward to still more grand adventures in the future.
22. Once you’ve been on a children’s oncology floor of a hospital and watched kids getting infusions of chemo, going to the dentist is no longer a big deal.
23. Keeping a camera in the car is helpful. You never know when you’ll want or need to photograph something.
24. It is okay to go through short-lived (or long-lived) phases. At various times in my life I’ve been crazy about quilting, growing roses, making soap, biking, blogging, running, eating grapefruit. The craze always ends, and I move on to something else. Each phase, though, has been fun and I’ve learned from it.
25. Watching a cat stalking birds under a bird feeder is a lesson in patience.
26. Watching a cat play with an animal it has caught is a lesson in nature’s cruelty.
27. Memorizing one’s debit card number makes it easy to make impulse purchases.
28. Being a parent is a life-time job. Even when the kids are grown and on their own, you will worry about them and hurt for them and rejoice with them.
29. One of the purest and tenderest experiences in the world is watching a baby or small child fall asleep in your arms.
30. Just about anything tastes better when it’s grilled outdoors.
31. Good intentions and cloudy thinking are a dangerous combination.
32. One of my greatest satisfactions is preparing a meal that people really enjoy.
33. A cluttered environment leads to stress.
34. The song really does remember when. (Trisha Yearwood - “The Song Remembers When”)
35. It is true that the only person we can really control is ourselves.
36. Most problems that we have are the result of choices we have made. If we want to change things, we have to start making different choices.
37. The “little things” count in a relationship.
38. Don’t buy a cheap mattress. Getting a good night’s sleep affects every other aspect of your life.
39. Perseverance is needed to succeed at any endeavor - whether it’s maintaining a garden, learning a new language, cleaning the house, losing weight or feeding birds.
40. You have to pick your battles in raising children, getting along with your spouse, and working with colleagues.
41. If you make yourself go through the physical motion of smiling when you are upset, it is easier to stop feeling upset.
42. A good night’s sleep makes everything seem better.
43. Traditions are important - but not all-important.
44. Reading is the most multi-dimensional activity I can think of. Through reading we can experience things beyond our physical circumstances or limitations.
45. Baskets are an easy way to de-clutter. Put stacks of magazines and books in baskets, and voila! They’re organized and neat.
46. If you’re feeling down and depressed, either do something for someone else or take a walk. Either one will make you feel better.
47. Ice cream is quite possibly the best tasting food in the world - especially Blue Bell’s Homemade Vanilla ice cream with a little chocolate syrup drizzled on it.
48. It is true that you’re more likely to regret the things you don’t do more than the things you do.
49. There are some seriously mixed up people in the world, and once you’ve identified them, it’s best to steer clear of them.
50. Cherish today because in a few years you’ll consider it part of the good old days.
51. Don’t ever say anything in anger that you wouldn’t want your mom or pastor to overhear.
52. Memorizing poems, songs and stories makes it possible to entertain yourself at times.
53. In making decisions, family always comes first.
54. A reaction to poison ivy really CAN become systemic.
55. There are aspects of each season of the year that I love: Winter = able to hike through woods without fearing poison ivy; spring = all the shades of green; summer = no school; fall = cooler weather.
56. You can teach an old dog new tricks - it just takes more time and effort.
57. Computers are incredible time savers and incredible time wasters.
58. Sometimes people who should know better, don’t.
59. Keeping a journal is a good practice because even if you think there are some things you’ll never forget, after enough years go by, you’ll forget. Not everything, of course, but you’d be surprised how many things you forget.
60. When you’re feeling a little sad about getting older, it helps to write about the things you’ve learned so far in your life.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 24th, 2009 at 8:14 pm and is filed under Birthday Honors, Remembering. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.