~life at 62~

I can remember a time not all that long ago, when I thought reaching the age of 62 would put me straight into the category of "really old".  Crazy how we think of things like age for instance, and determine the kind of person we are to be simply by the number assigned to us according to our year of birth.  Come this October 26th and the good Lord willing, I'll put those "imaginary" candles on my birthday cake and celebrate another year of life and another year of revolving around the sun.  

And you know what I have discovered?
62 isn't old at all.
Nope.  Not even close to old.

I have begun to accept the fact that perhaps the gray in my hair doesn't even have to be really covered any longer.  If perchance I have a stray silver hair that finds it way to the top of my head, well really who cares anyways?  The wrinkles on my face seem more and more visible each year but hey, if I live to be 100 (and I'm actually aiming for that milestone), then I bet my face will look pretty young at age 62.  It takes a little while longer to climb a ladder and when I get to the top, I wonder what in the heck I'm doing up there in the first place.  When the world starts to spin, I do what my Grandmother Brown always did when she picked cherries in her later years at the orchard on Cheney Lake back home in Kansas.

I get down off the ladder.  
And I stay down.

I never thought I'd be teaching at the age I am now, and certainly never figured that I'd make it for over 40 years in the field of education.  Yet here I am, still going fairly strong.  One of the things I've learned while being a teacher for these past two years in the great state of Oklahoma is this.

"It's been my experience that veteran teachers are honored and respected.  We are valued for what we can bring into the school setting.  People listen to us here, and truly they care about and solicit our opinions on many matters related to school and the kids and families that we serve."

For what it is worth.

My thought is now to stay in education for at least the next 4 years and if all works as planned, I hope to remain at the new district I am assigned to for the coming year.  It's a great place to teach children in and if I am getting ready to do my "swan song" in education, then I am glad that it is in a place called Grandfield.  Even in my later years, I am still filled with joy that I get to spend my days doing just what I love the  most. 

Teaching children.

Rather than bemoaning the fact that I am no longer a spring chicken, I give thanks that I'm not ready for the stew pot either.  With all of the years that I have left in me, I intend to give my best towards my school and my students.  I've been approached by several friends lately who have asked me why not retire?  Why not stop and enjoy life while I still can?  My answer to that is pretty simple.

"I already enjoy life and the best life for me is being surrounded by children."  
I've heard it said so many times before.
Age is just a number.

My number is fixing to be a new one.
And that number is 62.

We may look like grownups, but sometimes it's nice to just be a 9-year old once more.