Getting Older

Written for https://reinventionsreena.com/2026/05/21/reenas-xploration-challenge-431/

When I was a child, I counted the years and months. I would age quicker if I added them; I would reach my next birthday. As an adult, I no longer desire to think about how close I am to another year.

There were many birthdays I didn’t like. Thirty was the worst because I was saying goodbye to my youth. I was depressed, and on a bus, when I heard someone happy that he would reach seventy. He was planning on doing something exciting like a parachute jump. It was then I realised it wasn’t anything to be scared of.

In December I celebrated my sixtieth, and took my first flight abroad this year. My son and daughter brought me a holiday to Serrento. I only wish I had been to another country before I was older. My children would have had the experience of flying, and seeing other cultures.

I don’t regret holidays in this country. Devon, Cornwall, Yorkshire, Isle of White, and Norfolk are beautiful places to visit. They were luckier than most, and we always had a break every year. Even this year, we have booked a four day stay, to Hunstanton.

Getting older is something I look forward to; many of my family and friends haven’t been so lucky. One of my best friends died when she was fifty-three, with Cancer. It is important to appreciate age – especially when I get to retire and devote my time to things I enjoy, like writing, dancing, or walking my dog.