Today I officially turned seventy, so another decade begins. I just wish I didn't feel that old! I've had fibromyalgia for almost twenty years, and I'm tired of feeling so darned tired. Because of improved medication, I really feel better than I did in the first years, but it's still not fun. What was to be a fun day of shopping turned out to be an exhausting trip--much shorter than planned. I spent the evening of my birthday sleeping away the tiring pain.
I was perked up though, by reading all my birthday wishes on facebook. Birthdays are more fun now than they've been since I was a kid. Having that little bit of contact with friends, old and new, gives me a lift. Facebook is fun for browsing every day, but to have so many friends take the time to send a note, however brief, makes me feel special. I heard from lots of family, many life-long friends, former students, and friends I've gained in the last few years.
I can remember how exciting birthdays were the first years of my life - not being able to sleep the night before, opening presents, sometimes having a party, always feeling like a princess. As I got older, birthdays were milestones. The day I turned sixteen, I got my long-awaited driver's license. Twenty-one meant that I could vote and buy a drink. Then there was a long time when birthdays came and went without fanfair. I became eligible for Medicare at sixty-five, a big relief as I'd had to pay a fortune for medical insurance since retiring on disability at sixty-two. I hadn't planned on using it as much as I have, though!
So here I sit after mid-night, no longer the birthday girl, ready to go to bed to sleep off the hang-over from sleeping all evening! Tomorrow will be just another day, but I'll meet it with joy. It's good to know I've reached seventy. Good to know I'm retired and can sleep in as long as I want. Good to know that I have life ahead that I can enjoy family and friends who have made my life worth living. I'm blessed, and feeling a little old isn't so bad after all.
