The days of our lives

Like sands through the hourglass...does anyone remember that from the soap opera Days of our Lives? I haven't watched it in years so I don't know if they still use that phrase, but its been running through my mind lately.

This is my birthday month. And while I'll only share with my family and friends my REAL age, I will say that the big 5-0 is one year closer. I'm not sure why that freaks me out so much, but it does. Because it sounds soooo darn old! And all I can see in my head is that Molly Shannon skit from SNL:

Okay so please God that is NOT me...

I prefer to look at ladies like these for my inspiration:

 

Elle MacPhearson, Iman, Madonna. These girls have still GOT it! And I can only hope to look half as good as they do when I reach their ages. I know a 50 year old woman today is NOT a 50 year old woman even 20 years ago. Times have changed. We live longer, are healthier, and modern medicine grows by leaps and bounds almost daily-not to mention modern plastic surgery and many non-invasive procedures to fight aging.

 

I still have my mojo (most days), but its interesting to me how the years seem to slide by so quickly now. I remember when my kids were small, someone said to me "The days are long but the years are short". Which is very true, and the older I get, the more it seems to ring true with life in general.

There are still so many things I want to do, places I want to see. And while I know I still have (hopefully) many years left, I also know that life can be fleeting, and fragile. I find myself feeling a little rushed sometimes, looking at my bucket list and thinking about all the accomplishments I still want to achieve, and how time-precious, precious time-should not be wasted.

And sometimes, morbid as it may sound, I stop and ask myself, "If I died tomorrow, will everyone that I love know I loved them? Will they remember?" If  I can tell myself yes, if I can feel in my heart that those I love know just how much they mattered to me, then maybe thats all I really need to know I've done in my life.

Happy Birthday to me, and to you when yours comes around. Make a toast on your special day to love, and then make sure to share it with everyone who is important to you. Because at the end of the day, love is the greatest accomplishment of all.