I went to sleep early last night. At least I think it was early, before 10 p.m., I'm sure. I do know I was wide awake at 4 a.m. I think the cat woke me up and then I just couldn't get back to sleep. I still lay there quietly just awake dreaming about this and that. Travel, Hawaii, Switzerland. Places I still want to see and things I still want to do. But I have plenty of time.
When I think about the travelling my grandma did after she turned 70 I marvel at her intrepid spirit. Many people thought she was taking great risks. She had a heart condition and diabetes. But she didn't let that stop her. She went to Europe just about every year for 10 years after she turned 70. And she didn't go on guided tours. She went on her own. Twice we bought cars and drove through Germany and Czechoslovakia. People would make comments about how well she got around at her age. (But in all honesty I must add that I did most of the driving). And she wasn't a fitness buff. In fact, she used to brag about her perfect size 14 figure. I believe that was because Marilyn Monroe was a 14 that Grandma would say that. Those were the good old days when women had figures.
When I was 16, I thought 70 was ancient. Now it is just a decade away from me. And I know so many young 70 year olds that 80 doesn't seem so old to me anymore. These portals to new decades are just reminders to us of our mortality, nothing more.