Musings on the Occasion of my 61st Birthday...

There, I've said it.

I've let it go for everyone to see.

It SOUNDS so old...

I still think of myself in terms of being

about "forty" something.

(Didn't I just hear that 60 is the new 40???)

I thought long and hard about saying it

out loud to all of you.

What would you think?

"Is she THAT old???"

Yep, I'm afraid so.

I sometimes catch a glimpse of myself

in the mirror and think,

"Yikes! How did THAT happen?"

IT happened while I raised my daughter Kate,

who is now twenty three, a grown-up girl herself

and the brightest and best thing in my life.

Well done, Susan!



IT happened while I was creating, nurturing

 and building a business...which I'm still

creating, nurturing and building.

I work at it almost every day in some manner,

from sitting at my computer and tweaking my Etsy shop,

sitting at my sewing machine stitching up

bags and needle cases, or

sitting, somewhere, and knitting.

(All that sitting...THAT'S what happened

to my girlish figure!)

I work at it by packing up orders,

sending out notes and overdue invoices,

shopping for fabric (a favorite past time),

and making endless trips to the UPS and post office.

I'm constantly working at it when I face too many

unfinished projects that were started with

boundless enthusiasm, but lost

their steam somewhere.

In spite of it all, I'm an entrepreneur at heart

and I am blessed to be able to say,

"I love my job!"

IT happened during a thirty-plus year marriage,

that despite my best effort,

was not able to survive.

Many good years, some dark days

and then lots of reinventions pretty

much sums that up.

A friend told me at the time not to

view the divorce as a failure, but

rather as an opportunity for growth.

This is wisdom as good as gold,

which I abundantly pass out to

anyone who happens to need it.

IT happened when I bought Buttermilk Cottage,

the house.

This was probably one of the most

empowering events of my life.

The bones of the house were excellent,

but it needed an addition of an office and bathroom

and a complete kitchen do over.

Luckily, I was able to throw myself into it

right after my divorce and I'm pretty

sure it saved my sanity and proved

to me I have "can do" abilities.

You go girl/Susan!

IT happened while spending time with family...

...and friends, all of whom are more dear to me

than they can ever imagine.

IT happened during countless hours in

the kitchen cooking

ordinary meals, holiday meals,

and meals for neighbors and friends.

IT happened during hours of reading/listening

to books,

which enrich my life everyday.

IT happened while sitting and sharing

a cup of coffee, (or a glass of wine) with

my sister and best friend, Nancy.

IT happened while walking Daisy,

and running errands,

 watching too much junk TV,

and working too many crossword puzzles.

IT happened while creating a blog and

getting inspiration from everyone else's blog.

IT...just...happened...

So, now for the important stuff...

What do I want for my birthday???

It has taken me 61 years,

but I know without a doubt

that I don't need any more "things"  in my life.

What I do want is

LOTS MORE TIME!!!

Hope everyone has an outstanding weekend!
Mine will probably fly by much too quickly!