61
in lieu of a long birthday post, some songs and a thought or two
My birthday is in two days. I’m going to be 61. It’s a lot to think about, especially since it is coupled with my retirement next week. Normally I write a post for my birthday looking back on the last year, reminiscing about all the things I did, the music I listened to, the people I spent time with. I’d maybe write a paragraph or two looking into a near future where I take all the lessons I learned the previous year and apply them to this new phase of my life.
But I don’t want to do all that this year. It wasn’t a very good year to look back on and I have learned absolutely nothing worth sharing. It was the year that wasn’t. I’m pretty over 2023 as a whole. That’s not to say the rest of it won’t be good, I am retiring, after all. Life is certainly going to be different and challenging, but it will involve a lot less stress.
I do want to say I am thankful to be alive and facing my 60s head on. I’m thankful I’ve made it this far, and that so many wonderful people have been along for the ride
I will celebrate my birthday this weekend with my family. Mom is making eggplant parm for me, one of my favorite meals. Other than that, I’m not going to focus too much on turning 61 because I’ve just not made peace with it yet. So instead of a long, maudlin essay, I want to share with you my playlist in which there is one song for each year of my life. Just added this year’s.
Sorry for the short newsletter. I really had intended to write something long and thoughtful for my birthday but it would all just come down to: love life as much as you can, take in everything, feel every emotion, tell people you love them, and don’t listen to people who tell you to grow old with grace and dignity. Be loud, be fun, never stop being young at heart. I can reckon with being 61 if I keep acting like I’m 20, I suppose.