May all this old year be forgot and never brought to mind....

I will not miss 2017. It has not been my favorite year. I'm hoping 2018 will be better. I like the even numbered years better for some reason. Perhaps it is because I was born in one.

I turn 60 in 2018.I'm still not sure how I feel about that. I have honestly never thought about turning 60. I thought about turning 30. And then about turning 40. I gave a little bit of thought to turning 50. But 60 just wasn't on my radar. But now it is jitterbugging in my face.

On the plus side, 60 puts me a little closer to retirement. I am definitely weary of working. Having taken off a week for Christmas, I am very conscious of the energy it takes to shift from being home into the work persona. I am longing for the day when I no longer have to think about work.

I wonder, though, what I'll do when I retire. Didn't seem to be a problem on my week off. Time slipped away quickly.  Most of it was consumed by basic things you do around the house: make breakfast and lunch for my kids, empty and fill the dishwasher, take out the garbage and recycling, repeat.


I did paint and hide rocks in downtown Edmonds. I can't imagine I could fill up retirement painting rocks. Although I continue to enjoy the creative outlet, it probably would grow old along with me.

I've been toying with the idea of getting another tattoo when I turn 60. Though I don't want it to appear to be one of those life crisis things people do to pretend they aren't aging.(like old men with pierced ears and ponytails). I actually prefer to think of it as a way to celebrate the milestone with something I'll always remember.

I was 45 when I got my first tattoo. It is a Celtic armband of two dragons entangled, forever circling my upper arm.  Now I want something on my other arm. I'm leaning toward another Celtic design, but probably just on the shoulder and not an arm band. Nothing too extreme.

Who knows whether I'll actually do it.

But back to thinking about retirement. I don't have a bucket list or anything like that to do when I retire. I'm kind of just looking forward to not having to get up at 6 a.m. to get ready for work.  I've been pretty much working since I was 16...ten if you count a brief stint with a paper route and mowing lawns. It will be nice not to have to worry about work when I finally retire.

Then all I need to worry about is my retirement savings running out before I die.

Sigh...