I turned 80 on Jan. 20, 2020. I celebrated coast-to-coast for over a month. I arrived home from California on Feb. 26th. Wow! I just made in time to be home in Scarborough before the arrival COVID-19. Little did I realize my life as I knew it was about to change.
For the last 16 years, since my divorce in 2006, I never stopped. I traveled alone to Sicily to visit the country where my mother was born; took Viking River tours of the Danube River, to Bordeaux, and the Caribbean; visited friends in England; Alaska; Florida; a hot air balloon ride over Sedona, Arizona; sixteen trips to California to visit my son and his family. This is just a small sample of my many fascinating adventures and experiences I have had over the years.
Two months after my 80th birthday on Friday, March 13, 2020, everything came to a halt. Life was “canceled” and my car stayed in the garage. I cleaned furiously, cooked creatively (that didn’t last long), and read. I went walking every day. I entertained outside once the weather improved. I missed not gathering family and friends around my dining room table.
Last Thursday, I turned 82-years old. My life since turning eighty is a work in progress. It hasn’t been just COVID-19. I paused and reflected on the past 24 months. I am changing physically, more aches and pains. It takes me twice as long to get things done. My fingers are deformed and don’t always do what I ask them to do. The other side of turning eighty is friendships remain the same but more challenges arise in our daily lives. I miss those carefree lunches, overnight trips and spontaneous Happy Hours. I have lost three mentors/sages who guided and shared their wisdom. Today, I have become the mentor/sage to others.
I haven’t crossed the state line since I arrived home from California in 2020. My years of hopping on a plane and going wherever has come to a standstill. My son is getting married in June in California. I ponder my trip with excitement and caution.
I am hope-filled. I am living the cycle of life with each new year. How I face it will make the difference. I will end with a quote by Victor Frankl that has become my mantra: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
— Special to the Telegram
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Modify your username
Please sign into your Press Herald account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe.