CINCO DE MAYO

During my typical 3 - 4 a.m. awakening, I checked my phone (I know, you’re not supposed to do that) and saw an advertisement for a Cinco de Mayo celebration. Thoughts quickly racing through my mind included: That sounds like fun! It’s been a long, long time since we celebrated ANYthing, let alone Cinco de Mayo! Boy, am I craving Mexican food right now! And a margarita!

As I scrolled to learn more, my excitement waned as I read the words: Following a tour of our brand new Senior Living Facility, you’re invited to our Cinco de Mayo celebration where you can make some new friends! Wait, what? And what’s wrong with my old friends? I mean, my current friends.

It’s bad enough that I’m seeing more and more ads for hemorrhoid medications, hair loss treatments, and the dreaded irregularity. Not to mention the previously unmentionable sex drive remedies. These just show up out of nowhere…emails, texts, Facebook. All announcing (or confirming), hey, you’re getting old!

Well, I refuse to believe it. Just today, (or was it yesterday?) I went out to run a few errands and took one of my favorite routes on a long, curvy road lined with beautiful trees and flowers. I love this road because, as I’ve often mentioned, I enjoy driving fa—um, just slightly over the speed limit, and this stretch of road doesn’t have any stop signs. There are rarely any other cars because it’s not a direct route to any major roads or businesses. But, the best thing: it was just recently repaved! A beautiful fresh topping of asphalt - smooth with no more potholes - which feels like a pillow-top mattress for your tires as you round the curves. So, I lowered the windows and turned up the music and smiled. A lot.

Now, does that sound to you like something an older person would enjoy? Certainly not. Or maybe it sounds like something an older person may enjoy who is not quite ready to think about celebrating Cinco de Mayo in the new senior living facility.

See, the thing is, my mind, heart, imagination, and desire to laugh uncontrollably, aren’t willing right now to get on board with my body’s nudges and warnings (sometimes screaming) that I’m getting closer to the age when you secretly take virtual tours of retirement home suites or read articles on arthritis.

The time will come soon enough when the car won’t be mine to glide around the curves on the smooth asphalt, and I’ll be meeting new friends celebrating Cinco de Mayo in a bright and shiny new retirement home.

But just for now, with the worst of two years’ worth of pandemic behind us and the possibility of war looming in our future, I want to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with friends I’ve known for a long time. Friends who know my faults and insecurities and love me in spite of them. I want to hear and join in the laughter about our shared experiences. And I want to write about it.

Thank you, God, for 3 a.m. wake-up calls.