Birthdays, I recently had one and it was a doozy – the big 60 – yikes!  How did I get here so fast?  As the impending date approached, I felt pressure from friends to “do something big”, and I must admit that I did get caught up in all of that for a while, as ideas swirled through my head – and then I decided to do something completely different.

For my 50th I went on a short cruise to Southern California and Northern Mexico with a friend who turned 40 about the same time.  We both wanted to get away from the cold and snow in Colorado since it was the middle of the winter season.  It wasn’t an extravagant cruise and it was only for 5 days but it was fun and relaxing and just what we needed in order to move forward.

When I turned 40 I had a fairly big party and I do remember at the time thinking – no more parties, I don’t want to “celebrate” any more birthdays, these big numbers are getting depressing, and I actually have kept my word on that.

Thirty wasn’t that big of a deal to me since I stressed out so much at turning 29 – which was almost 30.  I was told by my mother that I wasn’t living up to my potential at my age and that I should “do something more professional” before it was too late.  Fortunately or unfortunately I listened to her and left my home in Vail Colorado where I owned my own condo, was a manager in a restaurant and loved my life.  I rented my place out for a year and tried to settle back into Massachusettes where I grew up.  I got a great job as a travel representative in Boston and loved what I did, but everything else fell short.  The pay was horribly low, the commute from my mother’s house just 20 miles North of the city was 90 minutes each way most days, and I missed my friends in Colorado.  Yes, I still have friends in New England, but they all had their own lives and schedules and I barely saw anyone while I was there.  My plan was to stay at least a year and see what happened, but I only lasted 8 months.  What happened was that I turned 30 while I was there and like I stated previously, 29 was my freak out, so 30 seemed ok.  It especially seemed ok because I realized that at 30 I was in charge of my own life.  While I understand that my mother didn’t understand the lifestyle I was living in Colorado working in the hospitality industry and skiing 4 days a week, that was ok.  She didn’t need to understand it, she just needed to accept it.

So, what did I do for my 30th birthday in Boston?  I attended a friend’s Big Greek Wedding – for real – and it was a perfect way to celebrate with great food, wine, and dancing.  I quit my job and moved back to Colorado soon after that, and never looked back.

Now, 30 years later, for my 60th birthday, I decided to rent a rustic cabin for 2 days, just a block from the water and take my dogs.  The temperature was chilly, but it was sunny and clear while we walked on the beach, making it the perfect way for me to start this new decade.

I’m working on upgrading my newly acquired small home and garden and I love blogging so I think I’m headed in the right direction – wish me luck…