I am 66 today. WOW! In my head I feel so much younger. By today's standards 66 is really not old.
Sixty-six is today's 56 or something like that. It just still takes me a bit by surprise that here I am, 66.

My life has been quite full for the most part. At 21 I was married and a mother of a three month-old. By 25, I had two darling little ones. "Perfect", I thought, "a son and a daughter." Now, just if the marriage was working out better.

At thirty-five I was back in college, and my children were teenagers and then the marriage ended. I had a teaching degree but not enough money on a teacher's salary so I took another path and started a career in insurance as an underwriter.

By my forties, I was ready for marriage again and found a wonderful person to share my life with, but then in my fifties he died suddenly. My world shattered. I survived, though, I still at times feel the pain of that trauma.

I retired and remarried in my early sixties. I now, finally, have a darling grandson who will be five in February. Not perfect there either because he lives in California, and I do not see him often.

My passion now is teaching parenting classes and volunteering with an organization that is working to prevent child abuse. Those in my class seem to feel that I have helped them so much, but my son and daughter-in-law do not solicit any advise, though, my son receives some that, I admit, is unsolicited.

I have traveled some, but there are places that I still long to see. I have been hurt, but who has not. I feel stronger because of the pain, well, most of the time. I have made my share of poor choices and like everyone else had to deal with the consequences of the poor ones. I hope I learned from all of them. The body is acting up, but I haven't always treated it kindly, intentionally or unintentionally.

I will try to paraphrase a quote that I recently read, maybe on Eons. It goes something like skidding into heaven, with chocolate in one hand and a body well used. I liked that as life is for living, and I don't want to be too fearful of what may happen or not happen and forget to enjoy it too.

So today, I will rejoice about making it to the great age of 66 and try to stay young in my head and heart for the years left to me.