My Sixties Project

My mother turned 90 years old today and she is amazing. She still lives on her own, in fact her boyfriend of 86 is staying with her to celebrate. She does amazingly well, even though she no longer drives and is hard of hearing. When I stopped to wish her a happy birthday, she was so pleased with herself that she had made it to 90!

I often wonder how it feels to get to the age she is and remember everything that has changed since she was a child. I wonder how she still manages to be so sharp. I wonder how she just keeps going and still learning. But she is like the energizer bunny who keeps on going. Granted, she is sometimes confused, is a lot slower, and gets tired quite easily. She has her routines and keeps her house up by herself. Everyday she takes a walk. Now it might be just around the block, but she is motivated and she gets it done. Honestly, the only really support my sister and I give her are taking her to the doctor, groceries once a week, lunches and dinners out occasionally, and beauty appointments. Sadly, the one thing that impedes her fully participating in life is her hearing loss, but she manages quite well.

I find her doing crosswords, jigsaw puzzles, and reading. She is interested in where I travel and tells me delightful stories of her travels. She has a boyfriend who writes her “love emails” every day! I hope I can be like her and still be as full of life at 90 as she is!