59 years old............




I want to share with you the poem that my husband, Henry, inserted in my birthday card that I opened this morning early after snuggling in bed for.... not long enough. It is by Jane Hirshfield. It sums up how I feel turning 59 today and looking toward 60 next year.

I Ran Out Naked In the Sun

I ran out neaked 

in the sun

and who could blame me

who could blame 

the day was warm

I ran out naked

in the rain

and who could blame me

who could blame

the storm

I leaned toward sixty

that day almost done

it thundered

then

I wanted more I

shouted MORE

and who could blame me

who could blame

had been before

could blame me

that I wanted more

In one year, which seems so short but really is made up of lots of months and weeks and days and minutes and seconds (36,536,000 seconds to be exact) and a multitude of breaths and thoughts and connections with life - strangers and dear friends and relatives, some I love a lot and some not so much but that doesn't matter because you can't have one without the other - anyway....In one year, I'll be 60. What is the "MORE" I want? I'm not sure. But I am sure that I'll find out along this way, this journey, this year to explore and renew and plan for the next phase of my life which I define as the time between 60 and 70. Big to me and tiny, teeny small amoung the gallaxies and multi-verses that we know now exist. 

STRESS REDUCER - Wow, it's a crazy holiday time of fighting traffic and last minute shopping and dressing up when maybe you'd rather be in your favorite jammies. Take some of the stress out. December 23-December 26 mark your calendar - make an appointment with yourself - 10 minutes, just 10 minutes, of sitting quietly with yourself and listening to your breath. Sit on the floor or in a chair, sit up straight with your spine long and your face lifted slightly so that you don't fold over, covering your heart and hiding your stress that's sitting in there somewhere wishing you'd let it out. Don't cover over your heart. Open your heart with your shoulders back and your chest lifted ever so slightly. At first just listen to the natural rhythm of your breath. Notice the inhale and notice the exhale and notice the little space at the end of each inhale and exhale. Do that for about 2 minutes. Then pay close attention to your exhale. Exhale, let go, exhale, let go. Even say those words in your mind or in a quiet whisper, "Let go". Sit there for about 8 minutes. If your mind starts thinking - don't worry about it, just bring your thinking mind back to your exhale and your message to your beautiful body and mind, "Let go". At the end, take a really deep inhale, hold your breath for a moment and then exhale long and slow. Then when you think you've finished exhaling - exhale the rest of the air out. It's called the "echo exhale". Just sit there for a few seconds now with your normal breath going and and going out and notice the difference in how you feel. Please do this for the next 3 days. And let me know how it goes. You can email me at donnaraesmith@yahoo.com or post a comment on this blog.  Do it folks. It will be your birthday present to me! And I'll re-gift it back to you and we'll go on and on like that. Ha!