And So it Begins....

I am one of the privileged many- born in the middle of the Twentieth Century into the 'Luckiest country in the world. Like many baby-boomers, my parents were hard-working, honest people who lived out their values in a practical down-to-earth manner. Values which to many today, seem old fashioned and irrelevant - but which have been strong pillars of my life. Such values as.... save before you spend; study/work hard and you will succeed; life's not always about getting what you want;always tell the truth; waste not/want not etc etc. It has been an interesting journey - this life of mine. One that will continue for many years to come I hope! I have been a mother for 34 years, a grandmother for 5 years, I've had a career that spanned 27 years and... I've been married to the same man for 38 years!Dull? Boring? Not a chance - life so far has been good, very good. Not without its challenges and times of crushing despair, but as I reflect on my life there is a huge sense of satisfaction and deep joy that resonates within.
As I contemplate life ahead, I am tempted to think of the limitations and weaknesses that may characterize my aging process, but prefer to think that there is joy, contentment and much fulfilment that awaits me as I stare down the barrel of the sixties, the seventies and beyond. Am I being too much of an idealist to imagine that life could be as good at sixty or seventy as it was at thirty or forty? Is it possible that it could be even better? These are the questions I want to explore as I write this blog. Surely each stage of life brings with it particular challenges, but can it also bring meaning, purpose and fulfilment?
My life is more than likely two-thirds done and dusted! That leaves one third left - to be lived and enjoyed or merely endured? When we speak of aging it is usually laced with negativity - but is it possible to change our perceptions? The only alternative to getting older for all of us is an unpleasant alternative - dying young! So why is society so focused on the negatives of aging?
My desire is to intentionally and gladly embrace the aging process - what that looks like I have yet to discover.