It is so funny how we tend to live our lives in incremental stages. There are our high school years when we thought we would never get out of school and go off to college. Our early 20’s when life was fun and the world was before us. Then the 30’s where we were settling into living out the choices we made in our earlier years. Our 40’s were a blur and part of us dreaded the big 50 looming ahead of us. Because that pretty much moved us into those middle years with thoughts centered around what had we truly accomplished up to this point and questions about what are we going to do to be ready for our senior years. After truly blinking, the sixties were here and for me that was retirement. My next focus was hitting 65 and truly, officially becoming a full fledged Senior Citizen. Each of these stages of life, I have embraced with thanksgiving and gratitude. I have not belabored, bemoaned, or complained about aging. For you see, aging, while the body does remind us, is more than a physical thing. It is also a state of mind.

So here I sit at 66, refusing to continue looking at the years in incremental pieces and truly looking ahead one year at a time. I am thankful, grateful and full of joy at saying I am now 66 years old, with no regrets. Many of my family and friends did not make that milestone.

Lamentations 3:22-23 states: The Lord’s loving kindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Isn’t that a truly wonderful gift? We get to start anew each and every single day. I know I am grateful for that gift and in accepting it, I will make each day my best. I will try hard not to complain.

As I celebrate my birthday today, I am staying in and continuing to recover from this recent bought of intestinal flu. It was a rough one and even though I am welcoming in the first day of my 66th year in a way, I had not planned, I won’t complain.

I do know that as I age, I am looking in the rearview mirror of life, a bit more. But with that I use caution because sometimes we can weigh ourselves down by the “would have” “could have” and “should haves” in life. I sincerely do believe the best is yet to be. So I am going to try to focus more on what is ahead.

This past year has brought some amazing changes, like welcoming a new granddaughter, selling my house, and moving across the country, three things I was looking forward to at this time last year. I cannot begin to imagine what this current year will bring.  And that is partly why I did a recent Vision Board for 2018. https://retiredandsmiling.com/2018/01/08/make-a-2018-vision-board-why-not/

I believe it is good to envision some things I want for my life going forward.  I am not bound by the choices I make, but rather focused in a way that is fun and non restricting.

So here I go! I plan to continue on living the best life ever! I am excited, hopeful, encouraged and full of peace knowing that God’s mercies are new each day!  It is a gift I freely accept and believe it is the best possible gift to receive.  Remember a gift is only as good as the use you have for it.  To enjoy it, you must receive it and use it.  How are you using your gifts?

I encourage you to check out my former birthday blogs by clicking on these links.

65th Birthday https://retiredandsmiling.com/2017/01/13/65-years-young-and-going-strong/

64th Birthday https://retiredandsmiling.com/2016/01/13/another-year-another-birthdayi-wont-complain/