2020

I just read a book called, The Floating Feldmans by Elyssa Friedland.  It's a book about the inter-generational relationships in an extended family.  The portrayals struck all sorts of chords with me since the matriarch in the book is on the verge of celebrating her 70th birthday.  (That's me this year!)  It started me thinking about relationships in my own family.  (Don't worry, I'm not going to share.  A collective "Thank, God" just went up among my family!)

The book brought up issues of health, money, and the varying emotional places of the different generations.  Emotions are so different depending on where you are on the age scale.  Our one year old is just now discovering his interior emotions.  Ironically, teens are doing the same thing!  Twenty somethings are busy proving to themselves and others they are really adults now.  Thirty and forty somethings don't have time for emotions.  In their time starved lives, each day feels like another mountain climbed.  Fifty somethings are mourning their lost youth.  Believe me when I tell you 50 is not the new 30.  Sixty somethings are wondering if they are over the proverbial hill.  And, when 70 looms, there's no doubt.  You can't even see the top of the hill anymore.  Ninety somethings seem to live totally in the present. 

I've been wondering if I have anything of substance left to say in this blog.  "Going back to work" also called nannying C, the baby in our family, has thrown Drake and me back to the place where there's no time for anything extra.  C's journey as he starts his life seems infinitely more interesting than mine which is winding down.  I hit both health lows and highs this year.  I battled pneumonia and also got glowing reports on the state of my overall health from our doctor just a month later.

We are also doing what we call the A-B lifestyle for the first time.  It's not very balanced yet since it's divided up 10 months/2 months currently.  Drake and I both miss the transitory life we've led for the past 10 years.  At the same time, I like the lack of frenetic activity of the actual 'moving' every few months.  I do miss criss-crossing the country.  It's really quite fun and strangely relaxing to road trip. 

I will be making a decision in the next few months as to whether or not to either close down this 10 year writing experiment, or to refocus and revamp it.  Whatever I decide, I won't just 'vanish' since I know there are people who read my drivel. 

Cheers, and Belated Happy New Year.  (BTW and apropos of absolutely nothing - it's really fun to type "2020".)

Here we are:  The oldsters, or the curmedgeons,
or just us after over 50 years together