A snuggly, sweet day

I celebrated my birthday on an intermitently rainy Sunday afternoon in New Jersey.

One granddaughter eagerly helped me blow out my candles, the other recoiled in horror at the flames those candles generated.

Together they represent the yin and yang of birthdays on the far side of the hill.

Birthdays here can be sweet celebrations of life’s fortunes, and sobering reminders of its speed.

Honestly, though, we north-of-60 year olds are just happy to be here.

My day started with pancakes and ended with pizza, with lots of baby snuggles, songs, dances and stories in between.

I marched one-by-one to the park with a three-year old and a friendly pair of strangers who spotted us and joined our game. When the ants go marching four-by-four the littlest one agrees to walk some more, which is good because we had a few more blocks to go. I love when little kids get to experience spontaneous kindness and joy from people much taller than they are.

I’m currently on a tour-de-grandma made possible by a lot of effort back home. So, I’m also grateful for a supportive husband, the flowers he sent, and the family we’re raising.

I got to talk to a lot of people I love yesterday, mostly while holding a sweet baby in my arms. I’ll never take either of those experiences for granted.

Then, (after we convinced our sweet little terrified infant that my birthday candles were not going to burn the house down) I got to choose between two delicious cakes — the rainbow cake my granddaughter picked out for me, and the toasted almond torte her Aunt Kayla brought.

I had a slice of each.

I hope to savor my sixties like those delicious treats because I know they’ll disappear quickly and I don’t want to waste a crumb. I’m also discovering (much to my shock) that 62 is a great age to be.

I’m looking forward to a productive year.

Let’s go!