I just turned 59, while it isn’t yet 60, it does mark the beginning of my last year of my 50s. And I had a friend die this week. (See more here.) So thoughts of mortality loom large. My birthday also marks the end of summer. So, I am struggling a bit.
You can get a sense of the flavour of my usual fall sadness by reading this piece The Summer That Never Was. It beautifully connects end of summer melancholy with thoughts of mortality. But this year, it’s more anchored in the sadness of losing a friend and an important feminist philosopher.
Sadness acknowledged, it’s been a good birthday week. I very much appreciated Catherine’s 59 things tribute. It made me laugh and smile during a week where that’s not been easy. A friend posted on Facebook acknowledging the hard week but adding “I hope you have a good day nonetheless. We need to treasure the time we have, as well as each other.” That’s true. Thanks CH!
For the first time in my life, one of my kids took on the task of organizing my birthday. We went axe throwing. My 80-year-old mother teamed up with Jeff, I teamed up with Sarah, and Gavin teamed up with his partner Cali. So we had one over-60 team, one middling team, and one under-30 team. Surprise! The oldsters won!
My mother is having a bit of a wild week. She also went hot tubbing (a first!) and came for a drive on the ATV at the farm (another first!). Now axe throwing. Who knows what’s next? Seeing her in action certainly helped with any age related angst in my life. Go Kathleen!
Other good birthday things–we all had appetizers and cake at Gavin and Cali’s Hamilton pad. And I got some great gifts. There were new cycling shoes and Emma Donoghue’s new book.
I was also given a very fluffy and soft, long black coat, with some bedazzling. Thanks Gav and Cali. Photo to follow!
It’s also the blog’s birthday this week. Happy 11th birthday Fit is a Feminist Issue! And it’s the birthday of my left knee. Happy 1st birthday new left knee!
It’s no surprise, of course, that the blog and I have our birthdays so close together. I started the blog with Tracy as part of our fittest by fifty challenge, two years in advance of our 50th birthday. You can read the whole story here.
Sarah and I are away camping this weekend, marking summer’s end and the start of the university year. Ready set go! (But first some time at the beach, maybe time in the canoe, and definitely some cards around the campfire.)
