When I'm 64

"I will not be in second grade." wrote one of my students when I assigned each one to finish the sentence "When I'm 64......."  Yes, I even taught 2nd graders about the Beatles.  But that will have to wait until another post.  This one is about being sixty-four.  I'm nowhere near 64, but, you know, that doesn't sound nearly as awful as it once did.  My husband turned sixty back in October, and I wondered how in the world I could be married to such an old man.  I asked him to remember what we once thought sixty was, and did he feel like he was OLD?  Some of my dearest friends are in their sixties.  They aren't old fogies at all.  Aging has its draw backs, I suppose, but other than not being able to shake off a cold as quickly as I once did, and hips and knees that ache more often, in my mind, I'm still 41!

Breakfast with Daddy at Columbia Cottage.

So, here's my list of things I like about getting older:
1.  I've learned to let go of the things I can't control. That's right..LET IT GO.  I need to get that embroidered on a pillow. 2.  I secretly laugh at foolish girls who get their panties in a knot about something not going their way.  LET IT GO, SWEETHEART.  3.  I have learned to find joy in the simple things.  Sitting on the couch with a cup of coffee and the scotties snuggled beside me, having nowhere to go and nothing to do (that means no schedule or lesson plans to worry with), and not setting the alarm on the weekends are a few of the things that delight me now.  4.  I get the biggest kick out of ordering a Senior coffee at McDonalds.  I giggle when I pull up to the drive thru.  Saving fifty cents gives me such a rush.
I've never been one to worry about my looks.  I decided a long time ago that I would probably gain weight.  I probably will get wrinkles.  But, I will probably always be a blonde!  Neither my mom or my dad are very wrinkled, so I can thank genetics for the lack of wrinkles.  Smile lines around the eyes are fine by me.  I think they make folks look friendly.  Right now, I worry about my teeth.
I've made up my mind that I am going to have fun my last few years of teaching.  I am going to enjoy my students.  Whining and griping about the garbage that goes on in education was causing me to have a sour outlook.  So I LET IT GO,   So I AM GOING TO HAVE FUN AGAIN.  I feel so much better now.

Last week, my dad went to an assisted living facility.  It is a lovely place, and I do hope he will be happy.  I wonder where I'll be when I'm eighty-five.  I know I will not be in second grade.