THINGS I HAVE LEARNED IN MY FIFTIES

On this day after the anniversary of my entrance into the world, I thought of things I have learned in the last decade: 

Feeding the birds soothes your soul.

Sex after fifty is not just for Tina Turner & Cher.

 

When cooking down a chicken carcass for broth, putting a steamer in the bottom of the pan saves a lot of bone gathering work later.

One does not need to explain covering gray hair.

The Botticelli belly of your thirties is not so attractive anymore.

A Wrinkle in Time, Green Eggs & Ham,  One Hundred Years of Solitude, Song of the Lark & Jane Eyre  & Dickens & Austen do not get old.

Fear is truly not an option

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Small breasts are your friend – they will never reach your knees.

Always long to be a ladybug on the wall.  People swat & kill flies on the wall.

 Like pixie dust, a little glitter goes a long way.

 When the choice comes between being scintillating & demure, scintillate.

 No one cares if you cannot dance.  Just dance.

 Friends come in all kinds of packages – savor each one.

 If a man you are dating suddenly appears at dinner with his cell phone on vibrate &  checks his messages, it is time to break up.

 Kindness usurps every relationship challenge.

 Your eldest grows up, marries & solidifies replacing you with an amazing young        woman.  This is a good thing.  You can still call him baby.

 It is never too late to learn to knit.  It is never too late to learn anything.

 Climbing trees is still an option – with a ladder.

 Letting go never gets easier – the key is to take a breath, let it go, & move onward.

 Reading Proust is still an option.

And David Tong is the most interesting man in the world.