I recently celebrated a significant birthday, you know, one of those “special” birthdays that end in zero!  There is something sort of jolting about those birthdays.  It serves to sort of wake us up and give us a reality check.   Actually, that is probably a good thing as we are prompted by the infamous “0” on the cake to start taking an inventory of our lives and ponder our current status.

We are all familiar with the old “mid-life crisis” concept and it brings forth all kinds of stereotypical images in our minds from bright red sports cars to people drastically changing their physical appearances, or in some cases connecting with their impulsive side.  But, what is really behind the scenes in these rather abrupt and possibly radical life changes?   Could it be the realization that one of the numbers on the cake is a “0” and time is fleeting fast?  Could it be that one day we look in the mirror and realize the person looking back at us is no longer “young” and there is still so much to experience in life?  Could it be that we suddenly realize we have made no progress on that Bucket List we put together many years ago?

My recent birthday prompted an opportunity for an introspective journey into the past 5 decades of my life, where I have been, and where I still want to go.   It brought forth the distinct memories of where I was at 20, a nursing student, working my way through college and trying to survive financially.  At 30, I was a busy Mom of 2 small daughters, pregnant with our son, and building our first home, trying to survive motherhood as a sleep deprived often “single” parent while my husband was working long hours establishing his new career.  At 40, I was a multi-tasking Mom of 4 kids, working on my bachelor’s degree in psychology and driving car pools every night to soccer, scouts, dance classes, and church activities.   Turning 50 found me establishing my new business and finishing my post-graduate degree internship while learning to adapt to having only our youngest son in our nearly empty nest.

And then I “blinked” and here it is, time to stare the big 6-0 in the face!   How did this happen?  It seems like yesterday I was running from my two daughters’ dance recitals to my two boys’ soccer games, and then dashing home to cook dinner, help with their hours and hours of  homework, so I could start my homework, which would often last into the the middle of the night.  It feels like we pushed the “fast-forward” button on the video and here we are— with an empty nest, our kids graduated from college and establishing their careers, 3 of them are now married, we welcomed our first grand baby earlier this year, with recent news of our second one on the way and due in the Fall!  BLINK!  It is a new chapter of life unfolding for us now, and my husband and I are looking forward to the rewards of this new phase, and more time to spend together, and enjoy our favorite leisure activities.

So, what has entering this new “60” decade equated with so far for me?   Well, it has highlighted for me, how quickly life passes and instilled a new desire to savor every pink-hued sunset, full moon popping up at the horizon, beach day gathering shells, and special celebrations with loved ones.  I have a fresh passion to get going on my long Bucket List, and the goals I have been planning to pursue both professionally and personally.  Decade birthdays are really a blessing in disguise as they force us to confront the inevitable.  They remind us again that life is precious, it is fragile and it passes far too quickly.  BLINK!!