The end of 2007 is here. Endings and beginnings abound. I have survived turning 36, my son turning 11 and learning the meaning of the term "tweenies." I've also survived the first anniversary of my father's death. What have I learned in 2007? Many things, some helpful, some a little painful, but all of them are lessons I hope I can keep with me and make me a better person in 2008.
I've learned that no matter how painful and empty it is, you can survive without your Daddy being only a phone call away - so tell everyone you love how very much they mean to you and do it often, we don't always get a chance to say goodbye, and even if we do get that chance we may live to forever regret simple things we said or didn't say.
I've also learned that children really do grow up in one heartbeat. Your darling little toddler will for sure one day become "too old" for you to express your love for them "in front of people" - so treasure those first years when you are the most important person in their life. Take time to play with your children, just being silly and enjoying the moment with them; the dishes, the laundry, all those chores will wait for you, your children will not.
Turning 36 has also been a learning experience. I don't know what men go through, but I've learned that we women begin to age at 36. The beginnings of menopause rear their ugly nasty hot heads, hair grows where it has never grown before and grey hairs show up in the most intimate places. We sit next to our "little boy" and notice that he has "man" hair on his legs and what looks suspiciously like the zits of puberty on his nose, EGAD! We're too young to have a child going through puberty, aren't we? No, not when we go shopping and the "misses" and "junior" sections contain clothes that are way too small and way too risqué, and then we find clothes that fit our taste in the section we used to endearingly refer to as, "the old bag section."
All of these lessons have a theme. It's a lesson I first learned in 1999 - life is short, you never know when it will be ripped away from you. So to be a better person in 2008, I vow that I will remember this lesson and make an active attempt to do something about it as often as I can. I will tell my loved ones just how much they mean to me and I'll do it often. I will savor every moment with my son that I can, I will try to enjoy the moment and laugh with him every chance I get. I will live laugh and love and I will cherish and enjoy the little "youth" that I have left; that my aging body will allow.
