SOLSC '16 Day Five: Hello, fifty

Hello, fifty.
You don't look much different than forty-nine.
A bit more rested, maybe, after seven-and-a-half hours of sleep.
(That forty-something had too many nights with less than six hours; fifty knows better!)

Good morning, fifty.
You've got a few more grays and wrinkles than forty.
Your morning glasses are different, too; are those bifocals now?
At least the contacts are the same.  Snazzy reading glasses are fun, I think.

Your coffee's ready, fifty.
That hasn't changed much since your twenties.
I seem to remember your taste for coffee started even earlier than that,
Drinking from your father's leftover mug, cold and sweet and light with milk.

It's a day for remembering, fifty.
I know it's hard, thinking of mom.
Her fifty was so much different, lying in a hospital bed, dependent on machines.
You are in a hotel, sitting at a desk, typing on a laptop....breathing on your own.

It's okay to cry, fifty.
Maybe that's the real reason you asked for time alone this weekend.
You've never been one for public tears.
Why do you choose to navigate those waters by yourself?

Take a deep breath, fifty.
Be grateful that you can.
Don't let the possibility of not breathing overshadow today.
Unless it spurs you to take really, really good care of yourself--you should.

You've made mistakes, fifty.
God willing, you'll make many more.
I know that's not a problem for you; you're pretty good at admitting your foibles.
Life moves on, the sun always rises, the grass grows, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Spend less, save more, fifty.
You've been on a shopping binge lately.
Yes, birthdays are special, but they need to be less about the stuff.
More about the time--time for you, time to breathe, time with loved ones.

There are some regrets, fifty.
Mostly self-imposed challenges you haven't met...yet.
Give yourself space and time to work on them.
Ask for help--there's plenty to be had.

Make room for fun, fifty.
For a Pisces, you are sometimes waaayyy too serious.
Leave some holes in your schedule, stop over-planning your time.
There's more to life than ceiling fan dust and laundry.

Breathe more fresh air, fifty.
Yes, you've found your calling as a librarian.
But you know time outside makes you feel so much better.
Especially salty ocean air--give in to your Piscean fishy needs.

Enough introspection, fifty.
Get up, get moving, get out there.
Breakfast is waiting, there's a walk to be had.
Let's get this birthday weekend started.

Glad we talked, fifty.
You're doing just fine; goodbye, forty-nine. Don't let the door hit you on the way out.