Having just celebrated my birthday, I can tell you firsthand that aging is its own reward. Or rather, rewards cards + birthdays = bigger rewards. Exhibit A: In the week leading up to my birthday I got several enticing discounts just for acquiring more grey hair. London Drugs gave me $5 off anything in store; Shoppers Drug Mart gave me 4,000 bonus points for buying anything (naturally, I bought potato chips); Starbucks offered me free coffee; The Loft clothing store gave me $10 off any purchase over $50; Novo Pizzeria offered me $10 off any meal; Denny’s offered me a free Grand Slam breakfast (I declined), and on and on. I call it “the week of free stuff.” Which just goes to show that those loyalty programs really do work! Of course, it means I have about eight loyalty cards to carry around, but hey, apparently, it’s worth it.
The part I’m not so enamoured with is having more and more people refer to me as “ma’am.” To this day, I always look around to see if they’re talking to some much older woman behind me. Then I realize it’s me they’re talking to. I just need to keep reminding myself that with age, comes wisdom. And for that, I’m grateful.
Now if I could just combine my wisdom with mindfulness. I was just reminded of that very thing when I swiveled around in my desk chair and whacked my bad knee against my oak desk. Situational awareness is something I could use a lot more of. I’m constantly tripping or bumping into things, to the point where my husband thinks I should just wrap myself in bubble wrap every day. My father used to call me a klutz because I have a longstanding history of bumps, bruises and broken bones. All because I don’t pay enough attention to my surroundings. And maybe also because of my impatience. Another lesson to learn.
There are times when I’m hyper-aware of my surroundings, like when I’m walking alone at night, or parking in a large parkade. Other times, I find myself splayed out on the sidewalk, having tripped for no apparent reason, embarrassingly announcing to innocent bystanders: “And now for my next trick.” Despite the embarrassment, I’ve singlehandedly provided hours of entertainment for my family and strangers due to my clumsiness. So, if you see me coming, give me a wide berth. And pray that I’m not carrying hot coffee.
