Birthday Blues

I ran across this blog today entitled “Tomorrow is Another Day” by a woman in Japan who goes by “Middle-Angel.” She commented about her birthday,

‘Yesterday I turned 54. Just unbelievable. I’m not wise enough for my age. I’m not deep enough for my age. I’m not generous enough for my age. In conclusion therefore, I should go much further to make myself accomplished.’

I think Middle-Angel’s thoughts are pretty common. Especially when we move closer to landmark birthdays (the ones with the 0’s in the ones place), we start freaking out about our lives and what we’ve done with the time we’ve been given. What actually makes one ‘accomplished,’ anyway?

There is a book that I love called “Lists to Live By,” compiled by Alice Gray, Steve Stephens and John Van Diest. It is perfect for all of you who are like me and love ‘to do’ lists. Middle-Angel’s comments reminded me of one of the lists from the book: 15 Ways to Stay Young While Growing Old. The list was written by Tress Van Diest, 89 years young. You don’t need to be having a birthday to learn a thing or two from this list. Here they are (drum roll please)…

1. Applaud others’ successes.
2. Exercise daily.
3. Keep a positive attitude.
4. Read widely and often.
5. Play with children.
6. Enjoy nature.
7. Laugh heartily.
8. Take a class.
9. Plant a garden.
10. Count your blessings.
11. Take risks.
12. Sing from your heart.
13. Get a pet.
14. Eat healthy.
15. Give generously to others.

Join me in the challenge of picking one of these accomplishments from the list today. You have to start somewhere. It was neat to see that Middle-Angel got the children’s book “Where the Wild Things Are‘ for her 54th birthday. (That happens to be Jason’s favorite book from childhood.) She’s off to a great start.