http://treasures-n-textures.blogspot.ca/2010/04/vintage-birthday-wishes.html
This is the site where I found this lovely card and it quite suits the mood I’m in at the moment. It’s been a lovely day for the most part, although I did a lot more walking than I had intended. But that’s a story for another day. Thankfully, it was a sunny day, and I had time to do some thinking.
I turned 54 today. I had to think about that a bit – I guess part of the aging process is that you forget how old you are! I just seem to forget that I’m getting older. The days go by, most of them fairly similar in tone. Work gets done, bills get paid, a few books get read, something gets knitted on…. and so it goes, all in all a fairly mundane kind of life! With a cruise thrown in for the fun of it – and I guess lychee martinis aren’t that mundane either! Delicious though, one at a time.
As I was walking, I reflected a bit on the progress I was making in my life, dividing it into the 5 colours that I’ve chosen to represent it – and that’s what I thought I’d share while the last minutes of this delightful day wind down. I also have to finish this lovely glass of wine!
WHITE: I always feel that my relationship with my God is not all it could be. I’m not consistent in so many of the things I want to do – reading, studying, praying, contemplating, meditating. Something always seems to get in the way of that. Mostly Facebook, I suppose, but I love the community I share there – and sometimes someone shares something that speaks to my soul and makes me think about my own relationships with people and creation. I guess I’m just wishing it would be more than it is – and that comes with time – not just time as it passes, but time being active and aware – mindful time. Something to strive for in the coming years.
BLUE: My creative pursuits are not the priority they once were. I find I can go for a few days without yarn in my hands, but I do enjoy the glass jars full of yarn. I still haven’t written a pattern for something, but I have been playing with dishclothes and making those “easy squares” more interesting. And I finished the shawl that I’d been working on for 5 years. My goal over the next while is to finish more projects than I start – and that will be tought!
GREEN: Green is my money management – both earning and saving/spending. Most of the last year and a half was spent saving for a cruise. I’ve written a bit about that – but the reality was that I came away with no debt – and wonderful memories that I was able to share with my mom, aunts and cousins. I still have one smallish kind of debt – my line of credit. This was sitting at around $5000 last year, and even with the cruise, that’s diminished to just over $3000. I’m planning to be debt free by age 55! And earning more money!
Which brings me to YELLOW: I’ve spent the last 5 years busily becoming qualified to teach ESL. Last year I completed the CERTSEL program at the University of Saskatchewan. I volunteered at the YMCA, subbed at the Y and this week I started teaching a regular class at the Y. I am so excited. While I had planned to be teaching overseas somewhere in September, family keeps me in Calgary for a while longer! But it is exciting to be moving forward and gaining experience. (And I have to start preparing for a Masters in TESL in a few years – money and experience)
Finally there is the RED. Most of my ramblings on my blogs have been about the RED side of life – my health. I’m still taking the blood pressure medications. I still weigh over 200 pounds. I still struggle with eating late at night. And…believe it or not…I still struggle with going to the gym. It’s even worse lately, and the only positive thing is my commitment to moving at least 5 minutes every day. That I can do – even if I can’t make it across the street to the gym!
So there you have it! A bit of a review and a bit of goal setting for the future. Wouldn’t it be nice if all facets of life moved forward at the same pace?
But it is bedtime, and my wineglass is almost empty. If it’s your birthday when you read this – have a good one and I hope it inspires you to make some plans for the next year. If it’s not – have a happy un-birthday kind of day and make some plans anyways!
Goodnight, rest well, and may God bless and keep you!
Marcia
The adventure started with these four snowflakes being entered at Geocaching.com. Ever since the cruise idea came up, my goal was to start off a “travel-bug” in each of our ports of call. Of course I didn’t get around to putting my idea together until the week before I left, something that is typically me. If I do this again, I would label each one with the port of call. As it was, the “Picker-uppers” had to do some finangling.
