I made it!

No lie – I am 60 years old today.  Can I get an OMG?  Or a holy cow?!  Maybe just a little yikes?

Meh.  I’ve been almost 60 for so long I’m nearly over the shock of it.  When I look in a mirror I can see some of the wear and tear (crow’s feet, laugh lines, sun spots) that many of us seem to experience to one degree or another.  I occasionally spy a single strand of silver here or there, but overall my natural ash blonde is still in residence, still thick and wavy.  A couple of months back I did dye it a sort of coppery shade in a “I want something different” type of experiment, which based on the reactions was a success.

Most of my life I’ve tried to ignore my birthday.  I’ve never liked being the center of attention, and birthdays shine a spotlight on you.  Granted, you’re only in that spotlight for mere moments out of the year, but I’m not a spotlight sort of person.  I give new meaning to the term “wallflower”.  Unfortunately, my boss of 18+ years doesn’t allow me to hide on my birthday, and has even baked me birthday cakes when her schedule allows.  She’s awesome like that.

I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise then that I’ve slowly grown more comfortable with my birthday.  While I can’t say I like it, I’ll tolerate being sung to in the office if absolutely necessary, blushing madly the whole time.  I even have a tiara somewhere that proudly proclaims I’m the “Birthday Babe” and includes sparkles and feathers.  One year not all that long ago, I brought it to work and positioned it at my desk for everyone to enjoy.  Yep, I’m definitely more at ease these days.

At least a couple of times this year I tried to start a post about turning sixty, hoping possibly for something deep and meaningful to share about my experiences on the planet.  I wasn’t very successful.  No surprise.  I could say I’m out of practice, but that would be a lie.  Janey doesn’t do deep and meaningful.  So because I wanted to post something here to celebrate that I survived to be 60, I turned to Uncle Google and found a few gems worth sharing.  This first one is a narrative after my own heart.

Across the Whoniverse, by Roz Warren.

I adore her second to last paragraph:

“Turning 60, many resolve to eat more healthfully, lose weight, or learn a new skill. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But I’m done improving myself.  I’m okay with the way I am. I don’t want to gobble more quinoa, learn to play a Beethoven piano sonata or finally become fluent in French.”

Personally, I like quinoa but otherwise I agree with Roz.

Next up is a lengthy list, some of which made me smile while others which made me grimace.

Sixty Thoughts About Turning Sixty, by Ian Martin.

My favorites:

10. Grandparenthood is a beautiful revelation. You have kids, you know you will never experience that feeling of unconditional love for anyone else, ever, and then it happens all over again. A heart-stoppingly beautiful miracle.
11. Sixty observations is suddenly feeling like quite a lot, to be honest.
12. A stitch in time saves act three of most Star Trek episodes.
13. You can’t judge a book by the shrill reviews on Amazon.

I had hoped to find more shareworthy wisdom about growing older, but having been ill most of this week I’m just happy to get this posted at all.  And let me tell you, there’s nothing like an energy-sapping, muscle-weakening, head-aching illness to make you grateful you actually made it to your birthday!  Thanks for counting down with me!