WHO YOU CALLING OLD??

Photo courtesy of Photobucket

My friend Kilroy was right when he emailed that posts to my blog were rare lately. I checked the date of the one before last, and realized how much time had flown by. I’m still scratching my head in confusion. Have the clocks gained speed, or am I just moving even slower? One thing for sure – I’m not keeping up like I used to.

Yesterday was a beautiful, sunny Saturday full of activity. There was a birthday party for my two youngest grandsons, Bali turning 4 on the 7th, and Tao, who will be a whole year old on the 12th. My brother, Bird, and I joined the rest of the family for a BBQ at noon. There were oodles of little ones running and playing and having a ball; mommies and daddies or aunties and uncles stepping up now and then to push the swings or a bicycle, wrap shivering little bodies in towels as they exited the pool, applying layer after layer of sunscreen, feeding, kissing, hugging, wiping the occasional tear…. delightful pandemonium! It lasted until naptime, and I loved every minute of it.

From there, I dropped a tired Bird off at his home, where Fran would keep him company, and made my way to the second occasion, this one held by four who were celebrating their ‘thirty something’. It doesn’t seem so long ago that their parties were very similar to the one I had just left, the only exception being that they were friends of my children instead of my grandchildren. It too was pool-side, the milk was replaced by alcohol, and the sense of fun was not lacking. I have known these kids since they were in diapers, receive an invitation every year, and I am spoiled rotten whenever I’m with them.

However, I believe I was the oldest person in both crowds.

And…although it was all very enjoyable…I had enough. Besides, the second game of hockey finals started at 8 PM. I arrived home, flicked on the television, then settled onto the couch with an ecstatic Grump, armed with a hot, sweet cup of coffee (finally!), and embarked on the familiar play by play text messaging with Sam444. A fitting end to an eventful day.

When it was over, Grump and I stood out on the gallery, star gazing for a few minutes before going to bed. “Once upon a time, I’d have been heading right back to that party!” I told him. “Now you couldn’t pay me enough to do that.” I looked down at him. He was paying close attention.

“What is it, Grump-puppy? Am I getting old? How did that happen?” I asked. His tail wagged carefully. Being a male, he had learned long ago not to respond to loaded questions. We stood in silence for a few more minutes while we pondered my question.

“Nah.” I decided. “It’s not age. It’s just that my priorities have changed a little, and all this hospital stuff has left me tired. Whaddya think?” The tail wagged faster.

Reassured that he agreed with my conclusion, I looked back up to the stars. Satisfied that I could still kick my heels when I wanted to, I remembered that life was good….and I was SMILING.

Luv from the Bush in Quebec.