The first
time I heard the beginning of the song ‘Dear Younger Me’ by
Mercy Me, I immediately thought about our boys, especially our youngest son who
is a mini-me. People say he looks like me. He and I think alike. And he acts a
lot like me. (I just wish he didn’t act the not-so-nice parts of me!) As I
listened to these lyrics, I thought about him turning 18 this year, leaving for
college, and all the adult decisions he’s going to have to make. What should I
tell him? How much do I share? Should I let him make his own mistakes?
“Dear younger me
Where do I start
If I could tell you everything that I
have learned so far
Then you could be
One step ahead
Of all the painful memories still
running thru my head”
Then the
next line caught me off guard. “I wonder how much different things would be”
and thought maybe the song isn’t about the boys. It might be about me. The next
verse clinched it.
“Do I give some speech about how to get
the most out of your life
Or do I go deep
And try to change
The choices that you’ll make cuz
they’re choices that made me
Even though I love this crazy life
Sometimes I wish it was a smoother ride”
Yup. It was about me.
When I think of my relationship with myself, there were times that I wasn’t too happy with who I was. There were also times when I was pretty proud of me. In both of these situations, it had little to do with material possessions and more to do with the words I said, the actions I did, and the attitude I had. While I can’t change my past, I can learn (and have) from it. As our boys navigate their adulthood, I hope they also reflect on their choices and learn from each of them.
My Year of 50 Update
#3 Contribute at least 600 miles
to my Run 2018 team - I completed 50 miles for January so I’m on track to
meeting this goal.
#4 Eat fewer carbohydrates and
less sugar and #5 Eat more fruits and veggies - I started the month better than
I ended, but this blog reminds me to get me back on track.
#6 Exercise at least five days a
week - Maybe not at the level I would have liked, but met the five days a week.
#23 Monthly coffee/drink date
with a girlfriend - Spent a night with a fellow quinquagenarian the day after
she turned 50.
#25 Post once a week on
Instagram/Facebook - Check my accounts.
#28 Read Still Alice - I thought
the author was a very good writer. I often felt like I was the main character.
Maybe it had to do with her turning 50 and me not remembering things so well.
#30 Reconnect with an old friend
- I worked with Dorothy at NMU in the Development Fund office. We attended
hockey games and hung out outside of work. She moved to Ohio and we kept in touch
for a short time, but then lost touch. We just reconnected on Facebook and hope
to meet up again soon. I hope to reconnect with other people this year that I’ve
lost touch with.
#32 Send/leave an inspirational
note/compliment to someone each week - Done every week. This was harder than I
thought. I kept wondering if what I was sending would be received as
inspirational or a compliment.
#34 Start a gratitude journal
and place an entry every week - Done every week. This was pretty easy. Guess I’m
pretty thankful.
#39 Take a yoga or Pilates class
- We joined the local YMCA and Fred went to a Pilates class with me. Not
crossing this one off the list just yet as I don’t feel one session constitutes
a class.
#41 Try a new food every month -
I tried butternut squash at a friend’s house and I made spaghetti squash. The
rest of the family had regular spaghetti, just like my mom used to do for us. J
#47 Watch at least 10 sunsets - I
watched my first sunset in January. It was a frigid cold evening and the red
was compacted around where the sun was setting. But the coolest part was this
column of red that was beaming straight up from the sun. Wish I could’ve taken
a picture but I was driving.
#48 Watch Still Alice and
compare to book – I liked the book better.
#49 Write down one positive
thing about myself each week - Done every week. This was a little harder than I
thought it would be.
#50 Write in my blog every month
- Two months down!
