In 92 days, I will turn 50. Or as my husband likes to say, a half century old.
No matter how it’s said, it causes me to pause.
50
That’s a lot of life!
I remember as a child telling my then 55 year old grandfather that he was over the hill. He asked how I figured that. I told him that it takes a person 50 years to get up the hill and then after that, you’re over the hill and on your way down. It made perfect sense in my 6 year old brain.
I may have been on to something.
Last Summer my family was in Montana. We went on several hikes up to beautiful summits where we would sit and just take in all the beauty. We often looked back to where we started, amazed at how far we’d come.
That’s where I am right now, nearing the summit, taking in all that has been my life to this point. When I first started, 50 seemed so far away. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like, where I’d be living, what I’d be doing. Now, looking back, it seems to have come so quickly. The terrain I’ve covered has included beautiful, refreshing, joyful trails; rocky, difficult, tiring trials; and some hot, dry, and utterly draining seasons. All of them make up the adventure that has been my life. And it’s been good. I’m so thankful for the things I’ve experienced, the things I’ve been able to do, and the people I’ve met along the way!
So what about the paths I have left to travel? What will they hold for me? What will I do? Who will I meet? What will the terrain be like?
I don’t know.
I have some ideas and some plans. But if the latter part of my life is anything like the first, I will definitely encounter things I never expected and experience adventures I never planned to have.
So, in 92 days I will officially reach the top of the hill.
