Today is a milestone birthday for me–the big six-oh. With the birth of my first grandchild last spring, I am firmly in crone territory. And I’m cool with that. Even if I weren’t, what’s the alternative?

Any woman who doesn’t live in a cave feels commercially-motivated pressure to view ageing as a tragedy. There’s big $$$ to be made by prodding our insecurities until we hand over our hard-earned dollars for products and services they claim will hold back the march of time and render us acceptable, loveable, youthful.

I call bullsh*t. I hope you do too. Every age and stage of life has its challenges and blessings, and I intend to fully enjoy each phase I have the privilege of experiencing.

I recently visited the alumni website of Würzburg American High school, where I taught from ages 26-43–Go Wolves!. The site includes an In Memorium page of students and staff who have passed. Alas, the entries from the years I taught are many. It breaks my heart to think of all those bright, shining souls who never got to taste life beyond youth–watching their children grow up, building a career and the deep friendship that comes from having moved through life’s stages together. Not to mention former colleagues whose retirement only lasted a few years–all those long-deferred dreams cut short.

So yeah, don’t expect me to moan about wrinkles and belly pudge. Ageing is a privilege.

I had a blast in my 50s–pandemic years excepted, of course. That decade brought early retirment, late-in-life love (highly recommend!), and a new career. I became a published author at 56 and made wonderful author friends (also highly recommend). With marriage (not my first, but by far my best) at almost 52, I acquired a wonderful in-law family. After nearly 30 years in Germany, I transitioned back to the U.S. (not easy at first) and enjoyed seven years in glorious, green Washington State before moving to Las Vegas last year to be closer to Hubs’ son, daughter-in-law, and aforementioned grandbaby.

Learning to love my new home will take some time. I miss the cool, green PNW all the way to my bones and will continue to set my fiction there for the foreseeable future.

Then

Now

In my 60s, I look forward to further building my author career, traveling with Hubs–I want to thoroughly explore the Western US from the Utah canyonlands to Alaska and Hawaii, plus Canada. I look forward to making new friends, making music, dancing my ageing ass off, and enjoying my woo-woo hippie grandma phase.

Coastal grandmother? My version is less Grace and more Frankie. I’ve always admired artistic older ladies with wild outfits, big laughs, and a firm sense of self. And now I am one. Here’s to a new chapter!

Have you experienced a milestone birthday recently? I’d love to hear your thoughs, so please leave a comment!