When I was a teen, everything seemed possible and I would take risks that surprise me now. Last week, I celebrated a "big birthday." It might not be a milestone to Hallmark, but it was big to me, since many of my relatives did not live very long lives. I am officially on the planet a year longer than my beloved Uncle Paul -- a real Damon Runyon-esque character, who taught me how to handicap the trotters (under the guise of helping me do my math homework) and let my sister and me eat Italian ices while hanging out of the sunroof of his Peugeot. I find this exhilerating. I have so many things I will do!
However, unlike my crew of teenage friends who would cheerfully egg me on to take on every challenge, from chatting up a cute stranger to trying to solve the problem of world hunger, this time around I'm surrounded by naysayers. No matter. My soul hasn't aged a bit. I'm as optimistic and determined as ever, and not only do I intend to do what I love, I'm here to cheerlead others like me.
If you're young at heart but holding back because your family, friends, your kids, the barrista at Starbucks or some news anchor is drilling into your head that you've gotta act your age -- I'm going to be your support system. I'm here to say, "Let's go!" when the wee voice in the back of your head says, "That looks fun." When everyone else is asking you why you want to it, I'm the one who will say, "Why not?"
I'm not talking about stuff that's illegal or dangerous. I just think we shouldn't hesitate to do the fave things that make us special.
Case in point. I was touring the Long Island Wine Country this weekend, and we stopped at Jason's Winery. There was a band -- the Long Island Hornets -- playing Beatles, Van Morrison, Chris Isaak covers, and some of us got up to dance. A woman with furry stilletto boots and big black sunglasses got up to boogie. People snickered at her outfit, but she didn't notice. She was glowing with happiness, enjoying the music and the gorgeous fall weather. When the song stopped, she sat down at my table and we struck up a conversation. She introduced her teenage daughter and her sister and proudly regaled us with tales of her infant niece. To help us understand different milestones in the stories, she let it slip that she'd beaten cancer not once but twice. Cancer did not define her, but I'm guessing the disapproval of strangers was completely irrelevant to her after such a horrific experience. She liked her boots. She was having a ball. And she was shaping her days with her family and friends in such a way that age truly is just a number to her. I was inspired!
You've heard it before. Do what you love. Do it now. Buy that Jaclyn Smith sweater in Kmart if you like it, and don't apologize when you wear it. Drink the good red. Don't save the perfume for a special occasion, 'cause every day is a special occasion when you think about it.
OK, enough soapbox. You get the point. If life has become a ferris wheel stuck at the top, we're about to start whirling again. Get on the ride!!
