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Hello Fifty-Five.

July 10, 2017 By Talya Tate Boerner

This is Fifty-Five

Hello FIFTY-FIVE, and happy birthday to me. Today I’m celebrating another trip around the sun. I happen to love birthdays, and I’m not one of those people who despairs over her age, BUT, I do declare there seems to be something a wee bit supernatural going on. I mean, the orbit is the same each year yet the ride whips by more quickly.

Doesn’t it?

And sometimes, the lap bar holding me inside doesn’t feel quite so secure.

Hello 55. Happy birthday to me...

When I was a kid, every birthday felt oh so significant, the actual number itself rolled off my tongue in a completely different way.

Eight sounded succinct and more powerful than seven.
Ten marked a huge leap into the enchanted land of double digits.
Thirteen promised all the possibility that came with being a bonafide teenager.
I celebrated twenty-one in Tokyo!

Gracie Lee Birthday Quote

Fifty-five feels strangely significant, too, more so than fifty-three or fifty-four. Those years simply showed up and rushed along in carnival ride fashion as I wrote a book, promoted a book, all those things. But now fifty-five is here.

“Fifty-five.”

It has a jaunty jingle to it.

Do I feel old? No.
Do I feel young? No.
I still feel like me but with more awareness of my own mortality and those around me, more control over my day-to-day life, more concern over my body and nature around me. And that’s a good place to be.

I’ve never understood why people lie about their age. Such pressure to look younger… My Daddy always rounded up his age. After he turned 55, he started telling folks he was 60. I suppose he thought it easier to count by 5s. But he died at 57 and never saw 60.

One thing is certain, our days are not infinite. Yet we often live as though someday will always follow tomorrow. And as my father-in-law once told me, “Someday gets here fast.” I know that now.

And as Willie Nelson says, “Gee, ain’t it funny how times slips away?”

Funny, not funny, Willie.

Things I Plan To Do…

I’m rolling out the red carpet and expecting great things from such a significant, light-bulb year. And I’m getting this party started with a few birthday goals.

  • In honor of my 55th birthday, I plan to log 55 miles on the elliptical machine at the gym in July.
  • I will donate 55 things to Goodwill. Soon.
  • In 2017, I will read 55 books. (In January, I set my goal at 50. I just upped it to 55. You can follow my progress HERE on Goodreads.)
  • I will spend 55 minutes per week on learning something new.

Now, let’s eat cake.

Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.

[tweetthis]This is 55. Happy Birthday to meย ? ?#Party[/tweetthis]

Musical Pairing:
Willie Nelson, Funny How Times Slips Away

 

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: 2017 goals, aging, birthday, Happy Birthday

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Comments

  1. diningwithdebbie says

    July 10, 2017 at 6:39 am

    Happy Birthday sweet friend. 55 special blessings on you!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 10, 2017 at 10:17 am

      Thank you, Debbie!

  2. Paula Larson says

    July 10, 2017 at 7:42 am

    Happy Birthday to my favorite author!!!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 10, 2017 at 10:17 am

      Awww, thank you!

  3. Donna Finley Reed says

    July 10, 2017 at 8:08 am

    Happy Birthday!!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 10, 2017 at 10:17 am

      Thank you!

  4. creecy33bara Tate says

    July 10, 2017 at 9:28 am

    Fifty-five looks good on you. Have a wonderful day!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 10, 2017 at 10:18 am

      Thank you, Momma!

  5. Renee Rice says

    July 10, 2017 at 10:01 am

    Happy Birthday Talya!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 10, 2017 at 10:18 am

      Thanks, Renee. I hope you are doing well!

  6. Colene says

    July 10, 2017 at 10:16 am

    Happiest of birthdays to you Talya. When I think of 55 I think of the speed limit on most of Iowa highways. When I think of you being 55 I think it can’t be! You have a wonderful way of looking at life and making the most of it. It’s been a pleasure following along with you (if mostly virtual) these past few years. I’m looking forward to your adventures in years to come.

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 10, 2017 at 10:19 am

      Thank you so much, Colene! When I think of 55, I think of Interstate-55 that runs two miles from the Bat Cave! LOL.

  7. marthajaneorlando says

    July 10, 2017 at 12:18 pm

    Happy and Blessed 55, Talya!!!
    Hope you celebrate all year long!

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 10, 2017 at 4:59 pm

      Thank you Martha. I will! LOL.

  8. Cindy Lu says

    July 10, 2017 at 3:10 pm

    Another masterpiece! (And just wait – 57 ain’t so bad, but they say 58 is great!) Happy Happy Birthday! Love you! <3

    • Talya Tate Boerner says

      July 10, 2017 at 5:00 pm

      haha I look forward to it!

  9. Sandra Gail says

    July 10, 2017 at 6:26 pm

    Happy 55, Talya! Hope you’re having a wonderful day and happy year! Enjoy all your posts and articles. Love ya!

  10. De Ann Bright says

    July 11, 2017 at 8:19 am

    Happy birthday! I love your father-in-law’s quote and would add, “faster and faster every year!”

  11. Dorothy Johnson says

    July 11, 2017 at 9:03 am

    Happy Birthday! You make 55 look mighty good and you are right. It is not old. I like your approach to aging and the way you’re marking this birthday. Somehow, I doubt if you’ll ever feel old or seem that way to others.

  12. Barbara thompson says

    September 17, 2017 at 8:37 am

    Love your father-in-law’s quote, “Someday gets here fast…”. So true…it’s so easy to put things off….


Hi! I'm Talya Tate Boerner. Writer, Reader, Arkansas Master Naturalist / Master Gardener, Author of

THE ACCIDENTAL SALVATION OF GRACIE LEE (2016)

GENE, EVERYWHERE: a life-changing visit from my father-in-law (2020)

BERNICE RUNS AWAY (2022)

THE THIRD ACT OF THEO GRUENE (coming 2025)

Recent Ramblings:

  • Sunday Letter: May 25, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: May 4, 2025
  • Sunday Letter: Rainy Day Edition
  • Spiderwort: my love-hate relationship
  • Sunday Letter: March 23, 2025

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