70

 

70

Noel Laflin

12-16-22

 

I am going to be seventy years old soon, and although it’s just a number, it’s an age, that for a number of years, to tell the truth, I didn’t see me making it to.

 

But, breakthroughs in medicine thirty years ago, and plain old good luck along the way, worked in my favor, apparently. So here I am; and to happy to see it coming.

 

If nothing else, being told that life could be shorter than anticipated has a way of waking up one's soul. It did in my case anyway, and because of that incentive, I decided to take time to really smell the balcony roses, the brewing of early morning coffee, chocolates in the candy shop, the smell of sage drifting across the foothills when it rains. I decided to be a more patient person, a kinder soul. That didn’t always happen (regrets expounded upon by request only, if you're really curious) but I made a more serious effort to be that person. Maybe I should have been upset with bad news so long ago, but just the opposite occurred as I understood that time was indeed a precious commodity (as it always should be, regardless of circumstances), so I thought I would try to make the most of it.

 

Thus, months turned into years and years into decades and here we are today. Who knew!

 

Consequently, as I approach another age with a number ending in zero, I continue to be amazed not only about that, but with most everything in life: the accomplishments of a determined, amazing daughter, the steadfast love of a husband, the unconditional love of siblings, deep, long-enduring friendships with folks going as far back as kindergarten, new friendships, marveling at the effortless grace of a bird in flight, a good book, an old favorite song, a lucky click of the camera, sharing a silly tale, the simple beauty of a spent wildflower blowing in the breeze high atop a lonely hill and the exquisite butterfly that lands right there as I gaze, and try to capture the moment. 

 

And as long as one keeps being amazed with the little things (not to mention the big things), just to wake up one more day, get out of bed, and go about living and loving what you do, and trying to me nice to others just because you want to ... well, then one is pretty lucky indeed.

 

I could go on, but hey, look, that’s a pretty cool hummingbird doing summersaults outside the window right now!

 

And, oh, heck yeah, there's a squirrel too!

 

Gotta go! 

 

I'll give you a progress report in another ten years.