This is the last year of my sixties. The last year of the First-Third of my Third-Third (aka, I’m 69 now!).

When I turned 60, it seemed like a big deal. I threw myself a party and invited my favorite people. I stopped dying my hair.  It felt important and like a significant birthday. 

That was nine years ago and now, after eating sushi in an igloo with Dave and Joel on my 69^th birthday, I find myself thinking about turning 70 a year from now.  Party? Probably not. I think 70 will be less monumental to me than 60 was. Maybe 70 will be just another birthday.

What I am thinking about though is how what I want to do in the last year of the First-Third of my Third-Third.

Definitely, I intend to enjoy this year.  But what should I, could I, will I do?

I am NOT setting goals.  I am fairly committed to not having goals or lists or have-to’s at my age.  No reason to set myself up for the stress of “needing” to do things or the possibilities of feeling I have failed if I choose to do something else. These are not have-to’s, but are possibilities!

Here is my list for this coming 12 months as I see it now.

1. Go on my husband’s Northern Baja Wine Trip with some girlfriends.

Travel sounds good after a year of being restricted. Joel and I have watched a few Mexican cooking shows and we will definitely plan a trip to Copper Canyon, riding the train and then crossing the Sea of Cortez to the east coast of Baja with him, eating street food and seafood along the way.

But MY trip that I would like to make is the one to Guadalupe Valley wine country. We’ll fly into San Diego, meet a driver to take us south across the border, stay in Ensenada, and spend three days wining and dining. One of the best meals of my life was in a winery cave in that valley. It is where I learned that a bit of truffle oil added at the end of whipping potatoes makes them super special.

2. Visit the Grandkids in Phoenix (and their parents).

It has been way too long. They are a year older, smarter, and taller (the kids, not their parents). They have chickens now and a new addition to their home.  I need to see those kids!  I also will also visit and cook with our other son who is Phoenix.

3. Publish another Book (maybe two)

I am working on Mantras for Your BEST ThirdThird. It is a collection of stories of decisions I have made that have shaped my thoughts and actions. My hope is that by sharing my life-changing realizations and the resulting life mantras, someone else might find the strength and motivation to make changes in their own life.

Try This is a newspaper column I wrote for over four years about managing and leading people (and yourself).  Collecting those short essays into a book is a project that Dave is interested in helping me with.

And, Dave and I have an outline for a book on How to Stay Married.  Maybe not this year, but I hope we will write it someday. We have stayed married for a long time (married in 1973) even though the going was tough at times. We both enjoy each other more than ever now in our ThirdThird and have some tips to share that might encourage and equip others to stick with it.

4. Keep working out, consistently.

Once the YMCA, where I work out, closed down in March of 202o, there was no reason I could not keep up my regular workout routine. I did miss my workout partner, but I have space where I could walk for cardio and I have a mat and an exercise ball. I could do everything at home that I had been doing at the Y.  There were Yoga classes online, I had a subscription to Les Mills workouts. But, I just was not consistent. And I began to see it and feel it. Now, back at the Y, wearing a mask, and back into a routine, I am newly committed to keep at it. 

5. Have a Hip Replacement.

Sigh.  Somethings one just has to do at some point. I’m lasting longer than the surgeon thought I would. I am not playing martyr, I am just not yet limited in what I want to do.  So to figure out how I will schedule surgery and recovery has not been a priority. The time will come. Maybe this year.

6. Kayak a lot down the Middle Fork River.

One pandemic activity that we did in the summer of 2020 is kayak. We have property that is on a national scenic waterway, the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. Joel, Dave, and I kayaked a lot. It was something we could do that didn’t require being around other people or wearing masks. This year, 2021, I plan to kayak again. Hopefully, the river will have enough water for a long kayaking season.

7. Keep volunteering with Food as Medicine.

I have found it very rewarding to run this program at Promise Healthcare, an FQHC that serves the most under-served in our community. We have been able to get healthy food to a lot of families who needed it during the pandemic and I would like to keep it up. And, I would like to join with others in our community to address health needs with good nutrition. Hypertension, Diabetes, Obesity are common afflictions of the poor and those are most often treatable through diet. I would love to start a nutrition revolution!

8. Sit by a fire (a lot) with Dave.

To end a day by a fire is my idea of bliss.  When the weather permits, it is best outside.  As sun goes down we listen to the owls and watch the bats come out. When it’s cold, an indoor fire is toasty and cozy. We chat about our day and the news and our family and we relax. 

9. Be open.

2020 was a transformative year. I discovered that I was very comfortable with limited social outlets. I found myself thinking about and beginning to understand racism and implicit bias better than before. I read some interesting books and listened to a few audiobooks about people and places not familiar to me. Podcasts on nutrition (People’s Pharmacy), other people’s stories (The Moth and This American Life), Chicago (Mincing Rascals), cooking (Splendid Table), and changing church ideas (Richard Rohr, Andy Stanley) have all made me think. I have changed my opinions and preferences on a few topics. It feels good to keep growing and to keep being transformed.

I will keep being open to change and to new ideas.

So, I am not dreading my next birthday!  I am eager to live well as I approach it day by day. Right into the Second-Third of my Third-Third!