Marking a Threshold

….not today’s weather…thinking ahead

I’m finally finishing up this post in honor of my friend Sally’s birthday today - as we Mid-Century Modern Babes share a birth year. Actually more Americans are mid-Century moderns than any other batch of people, so there are a number of us achieving a new decade in the next year or so.

I’ve always believed that new decade birthdays signal something special. It’s a time to pause and reflect on the past decade, while imaging where the new decade will take us. For me, the reflection of the past half decade is one I will skip. No need to dwell on that era of Orthopedic Challenges.

But imagining a new decade full of promise and potential? I’m all in.

I have a peer who successfully recovered form a serious health threat and has dedicated himself to his love of travel to faraway places - picking a continent or country for an extended exploration off any sort of beaten path.

Another is feeding his love of photography by going on photographic “safaris” to capture humans in their native habitats of New York, Paris, Rome or Istanbul.

I’ve always believed the start of a new decade requires excellent celebrations at least once a month. So I will ensure there is one spectacularly fun event or gathering scheduled form November 2025 to November 2026.

And since November 2026 is an important month for our country, I’ll ensure a number of of those gatherings are in the company of thousands of others deploying our constitutional rights of peaceful assembly to speak up. Still working on my personal favorite sign though, so appreciate your thoughts on that.

How we celebrate our shared “achievements of acquiring this well-seasoned, hard earned perspective on life purely by surviving this one wild journey has shifted for many of us. At 50, I wanted a grand party with a DJ and lots of friends from all walks of life. At 60, it was a house party villas as a “welcome back from California” - so the cake was a surprise for everyone.

This year, however, is different. Interrupted mobility can do that to one.

Sure. I’ll gather with family and friends and throw in some travel as well.

But this year, I’m taking the advice of a dear childhood friend who shares my birth year. My friend Anita is asking all who know her to forego gifts to her, and instead to give a gift of kindness or generosity beyond the normal. She does have a raft of kind and generous friends - so the impact of extra generouss kindness should be felt by many.

Anita has a fulsome list of ideas - from calling old friends or teachers to tell them about their impact on your life to baking cookies for neighbors just to let them know you’re thinking of them. It’s all about being present in and for the lives of others - listening to stories, sharing a meal or tea.

Her birthday ask made me think of the impact we Mid-Century Modern Boomers could have if we spread Anita’s actions to all our peers. Just imagine what could happen if an idea like that went viral.