Grandchildren are the Icing on the Cake

My dad always used to look at his grandchildren and say  "Here is our everlasting life". I guess he meant that we live on in our children and our children's children. He passed away at the relatively young age of 68 and never had the chance to see the next generation grow up. But he lives on in his descendants:  3 children, 9 grandchildren and one great grandchild, Nicholas named  after him.

Nicholas the younger was born 15 months ago. Becoming a Grandmother  was and still is, a profound experience for me. Gazing upon the offspring of your offspring is like having a glimpse into the future. You see how your genes have been passed on. We all instinctively look for signs of a family resemblance as did the countless generations who came before us. By recognizing their own and banding together, our ancestors survived a  hostile environment. We need to appreciate their struggles and realize that every one of them were able to live long enough to pass on their genes. Every one of us had a one in a trillion gazillion chance at being born at all. Our very existence is a miracle. And then, some of us are lucky enough to become grandparents.

Nicky (as we call him) visited his Grammie (as he calls me) this weekend. We played our usual games, such as taking a tour of the house and naming everything. Then I bounced him on my knee and sang old German nursery Rhymes that my own grandparents once sang to me.Then we played with the cats who were curious but cautious. Then we explored Grammie's closet and looked at all the shoes and purses. He also loves to rummage through my collection of beads and necklaces. He can't talk yet but understands most of what I am saying. He's like my silent partner, my miniature mime, my mini me. "what happens at Grammie's stays at Grammie's" I can make a complete fool of myself and he does not mind. He gets it! He plays along with the jokes and silly little tricks we invent just for the fun of it. It's pure magic!

It has been said that grandchildren are the reward for enduring the teen years of your children. I think it's heaven on earth and the icing on the cake.

This thing we call Middle Age

Sunday, October-24-2010

I’ve been mulling it over for quite some time now and am thrilled to finally start the my long awaited blog. I left the topic and theme wide open to avoid the dreaded writer’s block. As long as it pertains to the middle age perspective, from my own point of view, it’s acceptable for these pages. Whether it’s entertaining and or fit to read will be up to your discretion. I hope you like it and I welcome your comments!

My first blog is simply an introduction. This “Middle Age” thing takes some getting used to. It’s a good thing we live our lives one day at a time. Most things tend to creep up gradually. I guess it’s nature’s way of softening the harsh reality of aging. Tiny, almost imperceptible changes happen every day, and eventually they manifest to a degree that is noticeable.

I was always proud of my perfect eyesight, but to my surprise, in my mid 40’s things started to get blurry unless I held them at arm’s length. Now, I wear progressive lenses every day at work.

I used to be able to eat anything, in any combination at any time. Now, I need to limit certain foods or pay the consequences. My body responds with digestive upsets and gout. Gout?! I thought that was a disease for old folks. When did nature decide that I qualify? Any amount of coconut milk or seafood or alcohol has my toe tingling in no time.

My once luxurious mane of hair is now thinning both in numbers and dimension. Why can’t everything else get thin as well?

I can recall as a teenager, I considered anyone over age 21 as old . Being over 40 was almost impossible to imagine. When I thought about the future and the year 2000, the realization that I would be 48 was almost traumatic. My reaction was “ I might as well be dead”. Well, here I am 10 years later and to my astonishment, I find myself very much alive. I am still learning new things every day and I anticipate my future with joy and an open heart.

Life is an adventure with a limitless array of challenges and surprises. I will attempt to share them with you. Let’s enjoy the journey together!