Downloading Turbo Tax Made Me Consider My Age
Yep, it did. 2010 is creeping up on us.
Frankly, when I was young I certainly didn't expect to see the year 2010. I've lost many of my high school friends--some passed away at far too young of an age. One of the girls I went all through school is gone, several have lost their husbands.
What do I attribute my longevity to? Good genes. My dad lived to be in his 80's and mom was three years shy of 100. But, when you come right down to it, it all comes down to what the Bible says, "There's a time to live and a time to die." Only God knows when that time will be.
What is different about now and when I was younger? As a young woman, no matter what hours I worked, when I came home I always had to have an evening. That meant at least an hour to do something I wanted to do just for me.
When we had a houseful of kids, we always had a bedtime for them, which got later as they got older, but there was always a time when they were in their bedrooms and we had our "evening" together, just the two of us.
When I was young I loved to give and go to parties. No more. Too much trouble to give one and I'd probably be in bed before the guests left anyway. When we go to one, hubby and I are usually the first to leave.
When I was young, I could work, work, work. I always kept my housework up, did all the usual things mom's do with kids, fixed breakfast, made lunches, sometimes had a job, made dinner. For a time I did all that, worked part-time and went to college at night and usually did my homework when I got home at ten or so.
When I was writing one of my books (back in the days of the typewriter) I babysat three grandkids, 5, 3 and 18 months.
When I had a full-time job, I wrote another book.
Hubby and I purchased and moved into a residential care home for 6 developmentally disabled women. I wrote several books while they were off to work. Of course I cleaned house, washed clothes every day and cooked for at least 8 people and did all the paperwork that came along with the job.
During that time I also wrote a newsletter for the residential care business (still doing that now) and for ten years I was in charge of the training for Administrators of Residential Care Homes and still managed to write, promote--and I had my evenings though I did go to bed about the same time as the women in my care because I was up at 4:45 every day.
I've really slowed down since we retired from the care business. For a time, I continued with the training, but soon decided that all the driving was something I no longer cared to do and retired from that too.
Hubby and I are still up sometimes before six or a little after no matter what day it is even though we have no place we have to go most of the time--except shopping or to the post office. There's always things we have to do around this big, old house. My hubby's biggest and most time-consuming job is feeding his cats--the three inside and who know how many outside. We took two of the outside females and had them spayed hoping to cut down on the population. Would like to do that with them all, but who can afford it? (Because we live in the country people drop cats off on the highway and they seem to know there's a soft heart living at our house, one who doesn't mind filling up bowls, and buying bags and bags of cat food.)
Of course I write and do a lot of promoting. Our big excitement is when we go on a trip, something we do quite a bit whether it's visiting kids or going somewhere to promote my books.
And do I still have an evening? Yes, but it's nowhere near as long as it used to be. Hubby and I watch Dancing with the Stars together and Ghost Whisperer and sometimes Medium (though if he falls asleep in his chair I sneak off to bed to watch.) However, he's not fond of The Amazing Race or Survivor, so I usually watch those in bed.
I do go out in the evenings to the Women's Bible Study on Monday nights and I seldom miss my writer's critique group on Wednesday nights.
So you can see through this rambling post I really have slowed down.
Marilyn
Frankly, when I was young I certainly didn't expect to see the year 2010. I've lost many of my high school friends--some passed away at far too young of an age. One of the girls I went all through school is gone, several have lost their husbands.
What do I attribute my longevity to? Good genes. My dad lived to be in his 80's and mom was three years shy of 100. But, when you come right down to it, it all comes down to what the Bible says, "There's a time to live and a time to die." Only God knows when that time will be.
What is different about now and when I was younger? As a young woman, no matter what hours I worked, when I came home I always had to have an evening. That meant at least an hour to do something I wanted to do just for me.
When we had a houseful of kids, we always had a bedtime for them, which got later as they got older, but there was always a time when they were in their bedrooms and we had our "evening" together, just the two of us.
When I was young I loved to give and go to parties. No more. Too much trouble to give one and I'd probably be in bed before the guests left anyway. When we go to one, hubby and I are usually the first to leave.
When I was young, I could work, work, work. I always kept my housework up, did all the usual things mom's do with kids, fixed breakfast, made lunches, sometimes had a job, made dinner. For a time I did all that, worked part-time and went to college at night and usually did my homework when I got home at ten or so.
When I was writing one of my books (back in the days of the typewriter) I babysat three grandkids, 5, 3 and 18 months.
When I had a full-time job, I wrote another book.
Hubby and I purchased and moved into a residential care home for 6 developmentally disabled women. I wrote several books while they were off to work. Of course I cleaned house, washed clothes every day and cooked for at least 8 people and did all the paperwork that came along with the job.
During that time I also wrote a newsletter for the residential care business (still doing that now) and for ten years I was in charge of the training for Administrators of Residential Care Homes and still managed to write, promote--and I had my evenings though I did go to bed about the same time as the women in my care because I was up at 4:45 every day.
I've really slowed down since we retired from the care business. For a time, I continued with the training, but soon decided that all the driving was something I no longer cared to do and retired from that too.
Hubby and I are still up sometimes before six or a little after no matter what day it is even though we have no place we have to go most of the time--except shopping or to the post office. There's always things we have to do around this big, old house. My hubby's biggest and most time-consuming job is feeding his cats--the three inside and who know how many outside. We took two of the outside females and had them spayed hoping to cut down on the population. Would like to do that with them all, but who can afford it? (Because we live in the country people drop cats off on the highway and they seem to know there's a soft heart living at our house, one who doesn't mind filling up bowls, and buying bags and bags of cat food.)
Of course I write and do a lot of promoting. Our big excitement is when we go on a trip, something we do quite a bit whether it's visiting kids or going somewhere to promote my books.
And do I still have an evening? Yes, but it's nowhere near as long as it used to be. Hubby and I watch Dancing with the Stars together and Ghost Whisperer and sometimes Medium (though if he falls asleep in his chair I sneak off to bed to watch.) However, he's not fond of The Amazing Race or Survivor, so I usually watch those in bed.
I do go out in the evenings to the Women's Bible Study on Monday nights and I seldom miss my writer's critique group on Wednesday nights.
So you can see through this rambling post I really have slowed down.
Marilyn
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