Today and for the rest of the year I will be thanking God and finding every opportunity to celebrate. I have now reached an age where I can and no longer wish to reduce or camouflage the numbers, or refer to myself as a woman of a certain age, an older woman, the right or wrong side of a number, and all the other ways I have referred to myself in the past. Having a 60^th birthday is definitely cause for celebration

I am sixty, I embrace it, I have the war wounds to show for it and I am loving life! I said to a much younger dear friend that I had less time on earth now than I have lived and she was horrified. As dramatic as that might sound it’s the truth! As much as I love life I certainly don’t wish to live to 113!

So my mission in life is to hone all the skills I have acquired over the course of my life’s journey to date, be very selective in what I add on to this wonderful life, be explorative, inquisitive and most importantly to be of the best service to mankind that I can be. I have been blessed for being who I am and for having the opportunity to positively touch as many lives as I have, as well as being able to travel with so many people some way on their journeys through life.

SIXTY THINGS I AM GRATEFUL FOR AT 60 (1)

• LIFE – for reaching this amazing milestone
• My present situation– For allowing me to understand that life is a gift (a present). I have survived all that life has thrown at me and I am in a good place (despite the roadblocks)
• Health – for being in relatively good health
• Family -for my wonderful loving husband and exquisitely amazing daughters
• Joy– for having the ability to have been and continue to be joyous
• Experiences – for having the opportunities to experience all that I have experienced in life to this point.
• Challenges– for living through all my challenges, and sorrows as painful as some might have been. It has helped me to grow and appreciate the value of life.
• Courage and strength– For the ability to reach deep within myself and not let despair, failure, stop me in my tracks. For the ability to find enough motivation to build new goals and embrace life.
• My heart– For being scared and fearful many times, being wounded and healed, but still I rise and hope and believe with a child like trust in the world and what it has to offer
• The kindness of strangers – My gratitude is boundless for the love, support and generosity I have been allowed to enjoy by people who I did not know in all walks of life.
• Trauma, sadness, pain– For teaching me how to be strong, how to be resilient, how to be grateful, how to be humble, how to deepen my faith in the divine, how to be hopeful.
• Laughter and humour– For having the capacity to be able to enjoy nourishing, healing laughter and for having a sense of humour.
• Fears and disappointments– For giving me perspectives and keeping me grounded, humble and appreciative of the successes when they come.
• The elements (sun, rain, moon, stars, cold, heat, etc) – For being hopeful in knowing that nothing stays the same. The seasons herald change and possibilities.
• Nature– For giving me such pleasure and keeping me full of wonder at the majestic’s of plants and flowers, the animal world and all living things
• Sense of smell-For the pleasure I have derived from fragrance from a variety of sources
• Touch– For the enjoyment of the feel of friends and lovers, wonderful fabrics and many other things
• Taste– For the pure enjoyment the power of my palette has offered me
• Hearing– For giving me such pleasure in so many ways for all my life. For the sounds of my parents, siblings voices. For the absolute joy of hearing my husband and children’s voices. For ability to hear and enjoy great music.
• My voice and speech. For giving me a powerful outlet and instrument to express myself.
• My mind– For having the capacity and ability to think, to have enjoyed good mental health. To have been ability to correct harmful thoughts and do better once I know better.
• Friends– For having a few but really good friends who have given me absolute love and loyalty and have brought me through some difficult times. It has been a blessing to receive friendship.
• Being a friend– For giving me the grace and generosity of spirit and heart to be able to offer true friendship. It has been a blessing to be able to offer friendship.
• My tears- For allowing me an outlet to bear personal testimony to my ups and downs in life.
• My mistakes– For making me face up to my choices and the repercussions. For me to mature and to value the wisdom that I was subsequently bestowed with.
• Life lessons– For all the numerous lessons I have learnt over the span of my life. Some as simple and innocent as a look or laughter from a baby, learning about my body going to the gym to as grand as giving birth, meeting Maya Angelou Each one has left me wiser than the day before I experienced it.
• My Mentors– They have come in so many different forms. Some have been family members alike my beloved brother who I lost 4years ago, my wonderful husband who has been ‘long suffering’ in his support and mentoring. For the mentors I stumbled across during the course of my learning, who introduced me to gifts, abilities and strengths I had that I was unaware of.
• Privileges and Goodwill– For all the fortuitous situations that came my way. For being favoured more times than I can count through nothing but the grace of God.
• My choices– For all the decisions I made solely on my own. Some extremely great and some extremely poor, but they were mine alone to make. I am painfully aware many women (and men) are in prison physically and mentally and all choice has been taken from them.
• Having a roof over my head– For having the privilege of feeling safe and knowing I have and have had a safe, comfortable bed to sleep in throughout my life.
• Abuse free– For enjoying a life free from any form of physical, domestic abuse.

BLESSED BY GOD FOR 60 YEARS

This is the day

The Lord has made

Let us rejoice

And be glad in it

Psalm 118:24

Dear readers join me next time as I continue my list of gratitude for this wonderful age

Gloria Ogunbadejo writes a weekly column for Punch Newspaper. She is a Psychotherapist, a life coach, a holistic counsellor and an ordained Minister. She can be reached at Gloria@AboveWhispers.com

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