I think I’m at that stage in life where I give up.  Not on life, but on things I once thought important.  They weren’t.  I am finally free to be myself. 

I don’t have to go to work on Monday – but I don’t have as much money to spend on things I don’t need anyway. It is time to clean out some junk and live more minimally.

I don’t need to get into THOSE jeans anymore – but I still need to lose weight to be healthy. Less red meat and more veggies/fruit.

I don’t need three sets of china (Mom’s, Mother-in-Law’s and   mine) and my every day dishes – but I doubt the kids want them either. Family dinners are overrated. Families are not.

And I’m at the stage in life where I want to take on new things, hoping they are worth it.

I want to see Scotland/Ireland/England –  but hiking is a distant memory with arthritis. I’ll have to learn to drive on the wrong side of the road or let someone else do it.

I want the wind in my hair –  but I don’t want that convertible anymore. They sit too low and there’s no place for your stuff.

I want to leave the legacy of my stories –  but I don’t expect to be a best seller.  Instead I am learning the art of writing and the feeling of the muse that encourages me – sometimes.

Life is long and enduring, all the while it is quick as the blink of an eye.  I will never be able to do all the things I want to do – but I don’t have to be pulled down by the things I don’t want to do.  That is what true freedom is.  It is time to look forward, not back and do things differently with what time is left; and be grateful for it.