I couldn’t write about being 64 without including this song. Plus, it was on the Sgt. Pepper’s album, which was released in 1967!

Am I the only one?!

          My main takeaway or realization about being in my 65th year and rapidly approaching my 65th birthday is that I am grateful for all that is positive, supportive and loving in my life. There are times when it sure doesn’t feel like it, when I feel isolated, misunderstood and guilty, but inevitably I am able to keep putting one foot in front of the other because someone is kind or I see another hopeful sunrise . . . I worry that as I am getting older and balancing caregiving and work, with too little time for friends, family, home and my interests, I focus too much on what is difficult in my life. It is dragging me down into self-pity and turning me into a version of myself that I don’t like. To try and avoid being overwhelmed by sadness, I realize that, more and more, I am noticing all the big and little things that I am grateful for, such as two days of gorgeously warm weather in the middle of February and my understanding, helpful children who often help me turn my crabbiness into laughter. I am trying to nurture this more grateful approach to life so that it becomes a habit and helps me to laugh and feel better and more hopeful about myself and my life at 64, soon to be 65.