Birthday Shock

                                     Birthday Shock 

          I can’t be! I looked in horror at the birthday card my friend had handed me.

            ‘How lovely! Thank you very much. The words are lovely. This is a nice surprise.’

I must be getting good at lying as I don’t think she realised that I felt dismay at the front of the card and the huge number that was depicted on it. I quickly calculated the years from my date of birth.

OMG she’s right!!! And there’s nothing I can do about it but accept it. In my mind I’m nowhere near that age. How did it creep upon me? Where has the time gone? I felt rather disconsolate but tried to hide it whilst I had company. We prattled on about our lives however, in the back of my mind I couldn’t help thinking that I had to accept now I’m considered old.

After she left I spoke to my husband about it. The reality of my age had really hit hard.

            ‘Well, you’ve known about it for long enough’ he replied smiling. ‘It’s only years. None of us like to think we’re old and we still do most of the things we could do when we were young. We’ve good health on the whole which is a big plus, but most of all we are still learning and are interested in things happening. We’re receptive to new ideas and open to technology so apart from the years we’re not old.’

My daughter rang.

 ‘I’ve been organising your big birthday bash and there will be nine of us to Go Ape in Dalby  Forest, with fifteen of us for the meals that weekend. We’re going to have a fantastic time.’

She went on to relate who was coming, where we were to meet, where we she had booked for us to eat etc.

            ‘It’s going to be fab! I’m looking forward to it so much. You just need to turn up.’

She continued discussing what we would do when we were staying with her. It was heart warming that she would go to so much trouble for me. Perhaps there was an upside to my having a big birthday as I was amazed that so many people would travel from all over the UK to help me celebrate.

Well I suppose I can’t escape chronology but I can have a good time. I hadn’t envisaged swinging from on high in the forest; going through an endurance course to celebrate my 70^th birthday, however I was really chuffed our daughters thought that we could still do it. I would rise to the occasion whatever happened. They weren’t to know that I’m scared of heights. It was they who had bought the tickets for us to have the opportunity.

 If I have to grow old I plan to do it disgracefully. Watch out!