Sixty-Eight

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Well, I never. Never thougt I’d be here. Turning sixty-eight. For some reason it sounds like eons of time past sixty-seven. I traveled through the beginning of this birthday decade with nary a thought to the signifigance of the numbers. There’s no getting around it now with cutesy little descriptions such as “early late sixties.” It’s just plain old late sixties and to me that has some sort of dignified charm to it.

One practice I notice myself giving more time to is adhering to healthy habits. More important than in my younger years, my habits tend to keep my elderly butt going. My diet can be described as pretty much vegan, but won’t ever starve for lack of vegetables (i.e. not that strict). I spend many more hours planning and cooking meals fit for vegan royalty than anything which would suffice for a couple of regular old sexagenarians (a description which sounds much more fun than it is). I can’t decide if I am just slower in the kitchen these days, or if I keep choosing labor intensive menus which take two or three hours to bring together just for the fun of it. I’ve gotten heavily into making my own sauces becasue they are so easy to throw together and are way better than any store-bought brand. This may add to the total prep time required to make a meal from fresh ingredients and makes me feel like a Food Network diva (shove over Martha!)

Another good habit I maintain is moving around. My body that is. I’ve always been a person who enjoys the feeling of moving my limbs through space ever since I was a tyke taking ballet and tap dancing lessons. I have also been a cheerleader, color guard captain, runner, ballroom dancer, cyclist, hiker, backpacker, gym rat, bocce player, yogi, tai chi practitioner and just plain old walker in and around the neighborhood. I have participated in Nia, ecstatic dance, Pilates and Zumba all to my delight. And, although I haven’t kept up the practice of cheerleading, I can still bellow with these boisterous lungs at baseball games, crowded bars and children’s birthday parties. I am a member of the Western North Carolina Fall Prevention Coalition and teach fall-prevention classes. If you know me well, you know that I tend to fall down under certain trail conditions and my class attendees like this very much. I’m one of them!! My physical therapy days allowed me to see just how inactivity can affect one’s quality of life, so, my motto has been Keep It Moving Sister!

So, one who continues to enjoy moving around a lot and expending lots of energy making delightful vegan meals also needs to rest. You can call me Sleep Nazi if you must, but bedtime and risetime are sacred to me…strictly enforced and valiantly adhered to to. This is why I become practically catatonic when I travel to another time zone. I can tolerate the ocsasional late night out, but I still get up at the same time next morning as that practice avoids sloth and/or degeneration into poor (unhealthy) habits. Also, my back hurts in the morning from all that lying about. Not everyone who sleeps in the same house with me understands the princple involved with getting the proper amount of sleep by maintaining certain standards. For the sixty-eight year-old me, regular sleeping patterns are augmented by sitting and doing nothing (aka meditation) and naps. At this tender age, the idea of taking an afternoon nap is almost more appealing than winning the lottery (almost). It does rejuvenate me for all that cooking activity though.

One more healthy habit keeps me in fine shape. Visiting with friends. Walking with my gal pals. Playing bocce with the neighbors. Mini golf with people I have just met. Lunch at the wine bar. Beers at the local brewery. Coffee meetup with the besties. Baseball game double dating. Gabbing outside with the neighbors as we take a walk. The comradery feeds me. And, AARP says hanging out with others is as important as exercise and healthy eating for keeping my sixty-eight year old carcass in fighting condition. What ever that means! Without friends near and far, friendships new and historically ancient, life would indeed be boring. I like to count relatives in that mix. Mine are far away, but a phone call, text or Facebook post bring them closer to home. If you are reading this, believe that you are important to me during this period of closely counting the years as they go by.

So when I got a text over the weekend inviting me to go on a hike with some gal pals, I tastefully, calmly and age-appropriately said Yes. Nah…I whooped loudly as it was scheduled for the day after my birthday and the weather looked to be as perfect as you can get in August, and it was a Twofer–lively activity along with friends. Best day-after-my-birthday gift ever! Seven of us converged at the trailhead not far from town and proceeded to hike/chat our way through the wilderness. Chatting makes the time pass quickly and diverts one’s attention from any complaining body parts. It’s delightful when two of my healthy habits come together to boost my life energy. I am lucky in that the tai chi class I’m teaching has six friends in attendance. The class is good for our health with all that moving around together!

All that remains on my list of wants is cooking with a crew. I used to do this in Houston. My house was larger there. I hope to plan a few small gatherings in the Hobbit House kitchen with the purpose of cooking something simple together. And then, of course, eating it! And hanging out next to the bonfire in the yard. Fall is nearing and I am anticipating it with gusto for maintaining good healthy habits. I’ll sneak in a few bad ones just for a bit of balance. After all, ice cream makes the world go round or something like that.

Joyfully still hanging in,

Cheryl