Earlier this month, I had what younger friends called “a milestone” birthday. As far as I knew, there were no plans for celebration other than the usual dinner and a movie (at home) with my husband. I was surprised when opening my front door to a “heart attack!” and humbled by the kind words left on my door.

That was followed by a Zoom call from my 5 children including a delivery of cake, flowers, and acai bowls for breakfast. My husband wrote a poem that rhymed for me, and my son and granddaughter also wrote poems for me. Who could ask for more? It turned out to be a very happy day for this septuagenarian.

Seven decades is a lot to process. As I was looking back and thinking about decades, I came up with this:

• 1st decade childhood – Starting
• 2nd decade teens – Surprising
• 3rd decade twenties – Seeking
• 4th decade thirties – Struggling
• 5th decade forties – Striving
• 6th decade fifties – Succeeding
• 7th decade sixties – Synthesizing
• 8th decade seventies – Savoring

I’m not committing to this list yet, but it does give a framework for some of my life experiences. For now, I think I like this season of savoring.