50 Reasons to Love Being 50

I turn 50 on July 11, so I've been thinking of what it all means, great philospher that I am.  I've never, ever thought a number means anything as it pertains to age.  Age is much more -- it's the wisdom and experiences we accumulate along the way.  The ex had something of an emotional meltdown when he turned 40.  He spent the next several monthstelling me "it's ok, you can talk to me about it.  I know what it feels like."  But you know what?  40 didn't bother me a bit.

My feeling is that I am where I'm supposed to be in life, no matter where that is.  I have a 50 year old's experiences, and I think that's pretty cool.  I have kids that have their own lives, for the most part, and that's even more cool.  They're each embarking on their own individual journeys -- each one very different from the next -- and I love to see what happens each day.  They're pretty cool kids, and I'd like to think I had some part in that.  And if not, I'm just fine being a bystander.  One day, I might even be a grandma, and get to watch them take over the role of parent.

All in all, life is just pretty cool.

So I started thinking of what I would say, if someone asked me just what the heck has been so great about my past 50 years.  I still don't really know the answer, but here's some things off the top of my head.

• I still have all of my teeth.  The dental hygienist always tells me how much she loves to clean my teeth, because they are so perfect, and I thank her for that.  (And thanks, Drs Tinsley and  Darbro.  Those four years of braces were worth it.)
• I don't believe in Botox.  I think 50 would suck if you did botox in your 30s.  I think if you'd been doing it for so long, like so many of the celebrity types, that when you hit 50, your face would suddenly sag as a unit, and probably would look like it was melting.  No sir.  I'll take my crows feet.  And sunscreen.
• AARP membership.  And the beginning of senior discounts.  Cause cheaper is, in this case, better.  
• My colourist, because I came into this world as a redhead, and I will leave as one.  Just don't look too carefully at the roots.  I consider my red hair to be a warning.  It's something like a public service announcement, like when they announce tornadoes or hurricanes.  REDHEAD APPROACHING!  EVERYBODY BACK UP! You know you would.
• Manicures.  Because I have time for them now.  And pedicures, because I want my toes to look good, while I can still see them.
• Infertility.  I don't care if it's from a pill, a sponge, a surgery, or a bolt of lightening.  Life is good when you no longer have to worry about a dead rabbit.
• A king sized bed.  I want to say, when I got divorced, one of the first things I did was to go out and buy a new bed and new bedding.  I considered burning the old stuff, but figured the fire department wouldn't take too kindly to my version of a controlled burn.  They seem to have very little sense of humor about these things, so I gave the whole thing, lot and parcel, to Jill, and got my own acre of bed.  Man oh man, do I love that king sized bed.  It's amazingly comfortable, and will accommodate a dog, a teenaged kid who wants to chat, a cat who thinks she owns the place and, in reality, a small city.  Go big or go home, man.
• The internet.  Because when you get to a certain age, certain things make you crazy.  For example, you watch TV for an evening.  You see a familiar face on a commercial, but who the heck is it? Where did you see her before?  That kind of thing makes me NUTS.  The internet has been very helpful in expanding my collection of useless trivia.  
• George Clooney.
• My chickens.  Because they are so amazingly fun that I can't imagine life without them.  Even if they never lay a single egg, they are so worth it.  And no, they will never be dinner.
• LOST.  Because I could watch that series a thousand times, and always find something new.  Some day, you will find me in the nursing home saying "we have to go back," and repeating seemingly nonsensical numbers.  And I'm ok with that.
• Dogs.  I still miss my Timmy every day -- he will one day have his ashes spread with mine, wherever that may be.  Boo is a quirky nutjob who would obtain a DNA sample of anyone who tried to mess with me, but he's a baby.  And Rocky?  Well, he's cute as all get out, entertaining as hell, but maddening.  I'll miss him when he goes to Evansville.
• Teenaged boys.  Because they are hilariously stupid.  You can mess with them, and no one cries.  They are intensely funny, and more protective than Boo.  They do, however, tend to eat an awful lot.  
• Thrift stores.  Because there's nothing like the thrill of the chase.  And it's pretty funny to find something "vintage" that you had in high school.  It keeps one solidly grounded.
• Good jewelry.  I've started to buy myself some pieces of jewelry that I really like, since I sold my rings for gold after the ex moved out.  The stones are all in a little envelope, but they will never grace my finger/neck/wrist again.  Instead, I bought myself a beautiful vintage amethyst ring that I wear on my left hand.  I call it my divorce ring, since I got it the day the divorce was final.  I also bought a gorgeous blue topaz a few months later.  I don't consider myself a materialistic person -- I'm actually quite the opposite -- but I do enjoy pretty things.  Plus:  SHINY.
• Veggie Tales.  Because they remind me of when the kids were little, and they are just so stinkin happy.  And the memory of my kids bellowing "We Are the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" just makes me smile.  Intensely.  Also, The Song of the Cebu.
• Comfortable shoes.  Because I have nothing to prove anymore.  Wearing stilettos would make me look pretty desperate at this stage of the game, plus the world might tilt on its axis when I fall off of them.  I wear flats.  Proudly.  And an occasional wedge.  And I'm just fine with that.  
•  Audrey Hepburn.  Because she was the epitome of grace, beauty, and charm.  There will be imitators.  Many will try, and fail.  
• Snow.  Because it makes me happy.  Especially when accompanied by a day off, a good book, a blanket, and my boo's special coffee recipe.  That right there might just be the perfect day.
• Cooking, or the lack thereof.  I can choose to cook or not now.  I'm a pretty decent cook when I put my mind to it.  I'm not a natural cook.  I need recipes, (See: Internet)  but I can cook.  And bake.  But if I don't want to (which is often), I don't.  But hey, my boo does.  So I got it covered either way.  And the kids appreciate the miracle when it happens.
• Moisturizer.  Because I have used moisturizer religiously since I was a teenager, and I get told all the time how young I look.  I remember an interview with Nora Ephron once, where she said that no one tells you about your neck.  They tell you that your face will get wrinkled, but they never mention your neck, and that neck wrinkles can't be lifted/peeled/prayed away.  So I moisturize there too, and have not, as of this writing, developed a turkey neck.
• I Love Lucy.  And the Three Stooges.  Because who could imagine a world without the classics?  And you may as well throw in Leave It To Beaver, too.

There will be more tomorrow, as I pursue my quest for meaning.  Or something like that.

Road Trip

Matt is Seth's hero.  Seth has, as a 17 year old, a short bucket list, but Matt was on it.  When Seth saw Matt's videos, he was hooked.  From there, he read the book, watched the videos, and aspired to join him in his dance.  And so he did.

I saw Matt's video, and realized what an awesome thing he had done.  Call me crazy, but I love the songs, and I love the premise behind travelling the world and bringing people together in whatever small way we can.  And the joy of dancing, however badly it is, can never be underestimated.  And so it was that we ended up dancing with Matt.

I had joined the email list, despite the fact that Matt had said in his book that he would not do another video.  So in July of last year, I was surprised to get an email saying that he was working on another video, and would be in Madison, Wisconsin that weekend.  Seth was insistent that we go, despite the 7 hour drive.  Of course, he did not understand the financial situation of being a newly single mom with a father who wasn't paying child support, and another kid in college.  Needless to say, gas money was kind of scarce, so I told him no, Madison was out.  I did, however, email Matt and ask if he was going to be somewhere else in the Midwest.  Imagine my surprise when Matt himself answered, saying that they would be in Detroit on Tuesday.

Detroit is doable.  Detroit is about four hours away, making it a day trip in my world, because I love to drive.  Add to it that the timing was right, because they were going to be meeting at 7pm.  And so it was that I "had a dentist appointment" (wink wink) and left work to drive to Detroit.  Jill originally wasn't going to go, but decided to make the trip, swearing that she wouldn't dance.  We were in the midst of a wonderful road trip when clunk, clunk, clunk, we had a flat, right outside of Toledo.  DAMN.  Fortunately, we were right at an exit, so I pulled of, pulled into an empty lot, and informed Seth that he was going to have the fastest "how to fix a flat" lesson ever given, because if we didn't do it quickly, we would miss the dancing.  Did I mention is was about 98 degrees at the time?

One fixed flat later, we arrived in Detroit.  Got a bit misplaced, finally got parked (parallel, sigh), and got there just in time to watch the dancing from about 100 yards away.  Yep.  We drove four hours, only to miss the dancing by about 30 seconds.  I told the kids to run for it, but they were shy, so when we got up there, I didn't hesistate when Matt asked how long people had driven to get there.  He was gracious enough to do an individual dance with Seth - before anyone else -- and to sign the book we bought for Seth.  Heck, we even got the Tshirt.  But that's not enough, when Seth had dancing in the video as an item on his bucket list.

I heard Matt say that they would be in Cleveland the next day.  The kids were insistent that we go to Cleveland.  The catch?  Jill had something she needed to do the next day, and I had a tire to get repaired.  So yep, we drove back to Indianapolis - four hours - only to drive to Cleveland - four and a half hours one way -- the next day.  We arrived in plenty of time this time.  We were actually one of the first ones there.  Saw a jury for a serial killer's trial leave the courthouse whilst we waited, suitcases and all.  Got interviewed for TV, though I have yet to see the footage, but man, we made it.  And Jill decided that she would, after all, dance.

Matt was a bit amused to see us, and the guy from the Evolution of Dance video was there as well.  (He's from Cleveland, apparently.)   A few dancing lessons later, we danced with Matt.  The whole thing probably took about ten minutes, with NO guarantee that Cleveland would make it into the final footage.  And then we drove home, and Matt left to tour the world.

I've been watching for months, waiting to see if we made the final cut, and hoping for Seth's sake that we did.  It was so fun, and pretty cool to be a part of something that has a cult following.  And so it was that today the new video was released.  And yes, we are in it.  3:27 shows Cleveland, and there we are, doing the Saturday Night Fever dance.  So yeah, it took the better part of a days worth of driving, but we are a part of history, and Seth's bucket list is one item shorter.  I love the video, love the song, and love the premise of Matt's voyages. 

Enjoy.

Say what.................?

So, I'm sitting on the back porch swing with Seth, and we are talking about what a nice night it is, and how comfortable the swing is.  So comfortable, Seth says, that he could fall asleep on it.  Apparently so comfortable that he stops mid-sentence during the conversation.  I wait, thinking he is just formulating a response, then realize he just stopped talking, period.  I said "AND???????????" or something to that effect.  He looks at me blankly and says

"oh, never mind.  I didn't really have an end to that sentence."

No wonder I spend half of my life confused.  I live with a boy who only plans half sentences.

29 years and counting

As of yesterday, I have been a nurse for 29 years.  At the age of 20, I was turned loose to take care of patients in the critical care unit.  After hanging in there for three years of college, I endured another couple of months of  orientation to learn how to suction tracheotomies, read EKGs, pound on a chest, and a lot more.  I felt like I was pretty hot stuff, if truth be told, but was also scared out of my boots, realizing how little I knew.  My, how time flies.  And the same thing is true now:  some days I'm scared outta my boots, and others, I realize I know absolutely nothing.

In 29 years, I've been there when babies were born, and when the elderly died.  I've been there to watch parents hold their baby for the first time, when they said goodbye to a baby who was being adopted out, and when they first laid eyes on the baby they were adopting.  I was there to watch an adoptive mom breastfeed her new baby, and when another mother had second thoughts about the adoption. I even saw one couple who had the doctor hold the prospective adoptive baby up to the window, only to tell the doctor they didn't want him because he had red hair.  (The doctor, incidentally, no longer has a license, and I hope the couple doesn't have a child.  They don't deserve one.)

I've been vomited on, peed on, pooped on,hit, and spit on.  I've seen vomit hit the ceiling and the walls, and saw bright red chunks the size of my hand spew out of a patient like he was Vesuvius.  I had a patient ask me once for an ashtray, only to have him vomit on me, from my head to my toes.  As our respiratory therapist said, "next time you should give the man an ashtray."  And baby puke.............if I had a nickel for every baby who spit up on me, I'd be rich.

I had a patient tell me once that the angels were coming for him, and they did.  I had another tell me that if I didn't let him out of the bed, he was going to die -- and he did.  I've had more than one woman tell me "THE BABY IS COMING" and it did.  I had a woman who had shot herself in the head wake up blind, only to asak me if she was in heaven.  I've watch mothers pass out when their child took a turn for the worse, and even had one time where a family had (I swear) a contest to see how many of them could pass out and go to the ER in the most dramatic way, after the father died.

Yes, it's been a wild ride.

I wanted to be a nurse for as long as I can remember, and I've loved it mt dosays.  I've worked more weekends than not, worked most of the holidays, worked night shifts, doubles, and even got snowed in at the hospital once.  I've had patients who hated me, who loved me, and who couldn't care less about me.  And after all of it, I wouldn't change a thing.  I'm a nurse. It's part of me.  It's who I am.  And I love it.  What else could a person ask for, but to have a job that teaches, amazes, engages, and challenges them every day?  I know I can't ask for anything more.

Follow Me.

Jill and her beloved, Michael, were here a couple of weeks ago.  They will be seniors in college soon, and last I knew, Michael was still a bit unsure as to what he'd do after he gets his degree.  So I asked him.

Me:  "Michael, what are you doing after graduation?"

Michael:  "Following Jill."

Me:  "Michael, you're setting a dangerous precedent, giving her that much power over you."  ::laughs::

Jill (who just wandered into the kitchen where we were talking)  "Yeah, and it's freakin' AWESOME."

The Bro Code: Live together, die together.

After dinner.

Seth (holding up somethin from the fridge): "Do you think I can get salmonella from this?"
Me: "It has raw eggs in it. Yes, you could."

Seth stares at me silently as he pops it in his mouth.

Thomas: "What IS that?"
Seth: "Cookie dough."
Thomas: "Give me some."

Apparently they thumb their nose at death. At least when snickerdoodle cookie dough is involved.

December, 2011 in music and word.

My life has changed this year, in ways I've never imagined. Here are a few:

• I never knew that I could cry from my toes.
• I found that I could cry in happiness or in the pit of despair, and people don't know the difference till I clue them in.
• iPod purges are a very good thing, but are not permanent unless you choose for them to be.
• The depth of crazy in your life is in direct proportion to the people you choose to spend your time with.
  
• When life presents you a multiple choice question in which one of the options is to spend time with crazy people, choose ANY of the other options.
• Exercise the right to be happy. It will change your life.
• You may not know who your friends are until you think you have no friends. At that point, they will come out of the woodwork and prop you up until you can stand alone again.
• An hour on the treadmill will work out almost any amount of anger.
• Just because you think about doing something crazy like say, setting something on fire or blowing something up, does not mean that you need to do it. It's much more liberating knowing you made a conscious choice to sleep at night in your own bed solely because you didn't light the match.
• My kids will never let me down. The depth of love between us is still being revealed to me every day. I would lay my life down for them, and I think they'd probably say the same about me. They've done some pretty darned difficult things just for me, and they really weren't tall enough to ride that roller coaster. I love them to the end of time and even more importantly, I respect them beyond measure.
  
• Life can change in a second -- for good or for bad. Fortunately, I ended 2011 in the Very Good chair, and for that, I am very thankful.
• I am surrounded on every side by love. Not bad for "a cynical bitch who doesn't have any friends." LOL
• Never listen to the opinion of an idiot. Believe in yourself. Pick yourself up by the bootstraps and keep going. And if you can't find your bootstraps, call a friend and have them find them for you. They will.
  

And on that note, I end the year with a very special song. Adele pretty much wrote this song for me, because most of it is almost verbatim conversations that my boo and I have had. I am truly blessed, and am a better person having him as my huckleberry.