Celebrating a Major Milestone

My thoughts on turning 70 … (and the years that brought me to it)

Day of the Dead, Mexico © Stephanie Bennett Vogt

70 really?

That can’t possibly be me.

To be honest I’m in a bit of shock (and denial) that another decade has whizzed by and I’m looking at a proverbial “sunset years” concept that I can’t relate to.

If you had asked me in my thirties what I thought seventy would look like, I would have rolled my eyes and said, old.

So today in honor of my birthday — yes, I was born this day, Day of Dead, in Mexico — I thought I would celebrate this milestone with a big shout out and love to my younger self.

If she is listening, I will tell her that being seventy is actually turning out to be okay, in fact way better than I could have imagined. She has a lot to look forward to.

And if she’s still listening and taking this in, I would mostly want to thank her for a few things.

Thank her…

For her perseverance…

Age 2 — Acapulco, Mexico

her spirit of adventure…

Machu Picchu, Peru, 1982

For bringing her overall self to a lifetime of teaching…

Age 22 — Phillips Academy, Andover

For being the annoying picture taker…( and finally owning her curly hair)…

Age 29 — Cambridge, MA

For her patience in finding true love and allowing her heart to crack wide open…

1983

…and crack even more by bringing this bright light into the world…

1992

For continuing to practice letting go…

“Free houseplant. Needs light, love, and a bigger pot.”

…and saying yes to that career path that no one had ever heard of, and working tirelessly to find her place in it…

For dreaming of traveling around the world… and actually doing it (three times!)…

Dreaming big

…even if it means getting wet.

Bora Bora, French Polynesia, 2023

Mostly though, I would tell her how much she is loved.

Truly loved.

Ahhh… 70. Feeling so grateful and enriched beyond measure.

🫶🏼💕✌🏼🥳

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Your turn:

If you could sing your younger self a praise or two, what would you like to tell them? If you can’t think of anything, pull out a photo of your younger self and look into their eyes. Don’t wait until you turn 70 or 80 or whatever. You’ll be amazed how powerful it is to say it right now. And keep saying it.

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