60 is NOT the New 40!

50 is the new 30! 60 is the new 40! Seriously people; who comes up with this stuff? There is nothing about 60 that’s the same as 40 except your DNA. I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble, but any 60-year-old who tells you that it’s just like being 40 is most likely in the early stages of dementia.

Today is my 60^th birthday and let me assure you, I don’t feel 40. I guess the good news is my head is still clear . . . most of the time. The best thing about being 60 is the wisdom I’ve picked up along the way. For instance, even though in my head I can still do somersaults, cartwheels, and those ballet jumps I learned when I was eight, I now have enough wisdom not to try them. It’s tempting though. In my head, I can execute a beautiful cartwheel – I mean it is absolutely perfect in form and grace. In fact, it’s probably even better than any single cartwheel I’ve ever done. But my wise old brain shouts, “Get a grip girl! Save your hips!” (Please note how my brain still refers to me as “girl” and not “old woman!”) Trust me on this though: if you still want to be doing cartwheels and the like when you are 60 don’t EVER stop doing them. Cartwheel, somersault and dance your way through high school, college, and every decade to follow. That wisdom is my birthday present to you. You’re welcome.

There is something about new decade birthdays that have been hard for me since the year I turned 40. Forty seemed like the “halfway point of life” and I still felt like I hadn’t really grown up yet. In all honesty, I was correct. Nora Ephron is quoted as saying, “In fact, looking back, it seems I was clueless until I was about 50-years-old.” The same is true for me. But then, when I turned 50 I remember saying, “50 is just ten years away from 60 and 60 is just twenty years away from dead!” As you can imagine then, as my 60^th birthday drew closer and closer I kept thinking, “20 years, I’ve just got 20 years left” and that was kind of depressing. Never mind that my mother turned 88 this year! And you know what? Every year since my mom turned eighty she seems pretty proud of her age. If you knew her you’d be amazed at all she does in a day. So maybe I should change my thinking and say, “60 is just twenty years away from amazing!”

Yep, that’s what I’m going to go with, “60 is just 20 years away from amazing!” When amazing stretches out ahead of you, it’s worth getting excited about. So today I celebrate the incredible life I’ve already had and the chance to have many more years fulfilling the purpose that God has placed within me. I truly do believe the best is yet to come!

It’s time to celebrate! Let there be cake!

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10