An Amateur at 58
I turned 58 years old yesterday. One way I celebrated was to finish a gratitude list of “58 for 58” that I had started earlier in the week. It’s a reflective way to look back on the last year, the last few days, and the last few minutes. It’s a meaningful way to honor life and the role that living gratefully has in it for me. My list ranged from #22 Healthier thoughts to #40 Having good insurance, from #47 Emotional sobriety to #57 The lovely cooler weather we are having now. There are plenty of people on my list too, and that speaks to vital connections and a sense of belonging.
At 58, I belong to myself in ways I never have before. I went for a bike ride yesterday and enjoyed a few moments of hands-free riding a few times on my ride. Whee! I even captured some amateur video on one such stint:
Like I said, it’s amateur video. Which brings me to this gentle rant. I am still an amateur at life, and that is alright by me. I am not a professional human. I am flawed, inconsistent, still evolving. I like myself this way. Better than ever. Trying easier. Reasonable expectations. I am looking forward to the next year, weeks, days, moments. I am far from done transforming, and that statement doesn’t exhaust me, it energizes me.
I will save the wider rant—my concerns about our society, our children, our incessant striving, for what?—for another time.
I will add some of my favorite birthday lines: “Better older than deader.” (My original). “More birthdays please!” (Thank you Anna Quindlen.) And the often-quoted “Age is a frame of mind.” I am not trying to defy aging, I am embracing it. It took me 58 years to get here!
And I will tell you how my bike ride ended yesterday. Due to an unfortunate and unforeseen “shorts stuck in bike seat” situation, I fell as I got off my bike. I picked myself up and brushed myself off. My left knee was bleeding, but that was the worst of it. It takes a true amateur to pull that off.
Thanks for reading and have a good day!
