WHAT 61 LOOKS LIKE

YIPPEE. Tuesday was my birthday. Normally, I'd bitch about.... eeeks.... how old I am, but then I thought about what the alternative was, and decided instead, I should be THRILLED about my age. After all, neither Bob nor Linda ever made it to 60, so as far as I'm concerned, I should be tap dancing all OVER the damn place. Besides, I'm in excellent health. Well, okay. My sight, hearing and memory are on their way out, but at least I'm not wearing Depends 24/7. Uh... almost, but not quite yet. When my kid was just a toddler, many, MANY moons ago and he'd go to three year old birthday parties... I remember telling my friends... YOU SHOULD SEE WHAT THEIR GRANDMOTHERS LOOK LIKE! WAY BETTER THAN I DO! DAMNIT. And, it was true. Back then, I was like as haggard looking as you can imagine. I was also pretty blimpy given it was mandatory that I eat everything my toddler didn't. Oh, he had a clean plate, alright. Thanks to me. Plus, I was far from being COMPLETELY happy, being I was pretty much almost slave like to this little kid. Took me no time at all to realize housekeepers, babysitters, mothers helpers and sleep overs were my path to sanity. 1-2-3, I nailed those deals like a pro. Anyway, my kid is a man now and I'm 61. And, I'm a pretty damn happy 61 year old, at that. I look somewhat decent. I get good reports from my doctors. I have zillions of really fabulous friends and I have a loving family. I love my house and all my techie toys. I've got smarts and I've got experience. I've been around the block and I've racked up some pretty juicy memories. I know how to Twitter and I received lots of great birthday wishes via Facebook. Of course, I'm hoping to keep adding to this list and you know what? I am convinced I will! Yippee... bring it on. Well, don't bring on any more cell phone features. They're losing me but fast. So, basically... you want to know what 61 looks like? Bingo. There you have it, up there in the pict. It was taken on my birthday, so it's as up to the minute as you could want. Plus... Claudia and I looked at a picture of my grandmother recently, when SHE was about 61. NEWSFLASH: I look TOTALLY better than she did. Maybe she too, should have gone blonde. Regardless, for those of you out there who've yet to reach 61, take a tip from an old, wise lady: You're hopefully no where NEAR your prime. The best is DEFintely yet to come.... I'm living proof. Well, as long as you make peace with sagging bodies and early bedtimes, that is.