Life Begins at Sixty: What This Birthday Milestone Means

This week I hit the age of sixty, a veritable achievement as birthdays go. Did you know that in China it would signify that I’ve completed an entire cycle of the Zodiac calendar. I certainly didn’t until I asked Chat GPT, my jolly useful writing assistant. In fact I asked it to generate this picture to commemorate the event and it obliged!

How I Marked The Occasion

I didn’t fancy a big party or much fuss after all that’s been going on lately with looking after my parents. They’d been staying with us for nearly three months because of their health issues but hurrah! they moved into their new home with care in place just before my big day. So Paul, my partner and I are celebrating with a quiet trip away to Cornwall in Klaus the Knaus, our motorhome. We’re cycling on our e-bikes, looking at the wild and woolly sea from pub windows while clutching a pint of Korev and eating rather yummy food. We’ll probably do the same again when my toyboy reaches this milestone age next year. Gone are the days when we need to party.

Around the time of most birthdays I have a little spending spree. After all my parents and mother in law give me money so I like to use it in a special way. This year I bought myself some light reactive glasses. I’ve been coveting the ones that Paul bought a few months ago. It would stop the palaver of changing between normal specs and shades when going from inside to outdoors. Can I mention that Goggles4U are an absolute bargain? My designer shades with vari-focal reactive lenses and the highest level of protection from scratches cost just over eighty quid with postage. I even got to try before buying with their digital assistant.

What I’m Entitled To

A few freebies are coming my way because I’ve reached such a ripe old age. Alas! there’s no bus pass for free travel yet. I’ve got to wait another seven years under State Retirement Age. But I’m allowed to buy a Senior Railcard which gives me a third off fares so that will be useful especially when combined with advance saver tickets. After months of caring for my parents full-time I’ve got some catching up with friends to do.

I’m also entitled to free prescriptions. As I have regular medication that will be a monthly saving of ten pounds on the costs of a pre-payment certificate. It’s not much but I’m grateful for any extra money. And on the subject of health I won’t have to pay for eye tests anymore. Mine isn’t up for another year so I won’t be making use of that soon. Still it’s good to know.

The kids are more excited than me about the discount card from Iceland. It allows me 10% off on a Tuesday. I found out when I went shopping to top up the freezer one day and was jostled by a myriad of oldies buying their packs of oven chips and Pukka pies. I was asked at the till if I already qualified last year and was a little miffed. Long gone are the days when I got annoyed if I was ID-ed for alcohol. Maybe now I really do look my age!

I already got the concessionary rate on Southend Pier prematurely but only realised when I was on the boardwalk and the amount I’d paid popped up. I understand that there are quite a few other attractions have a special rate for us oldies including museums, gardens and ancient monuments.

How I Feel

My sixtieth birthday was when I’d originally planned to retire but I’ve had three extra years and the savings haven’t run out yet. The good thing is that I still feel really young except for the bit of arthritis in my feet which I try to ignore. Okay the wrinkles and crinkles might be telling me differently but I’ve been grey for so long that it’s not a marker. I’ve noticed that no-one comments on my hair anymore like they did in my younger days.

So I’ll continue on as normal, leading my busy little life with my lovely friends and family around me. Life’s been at a relative standstill for a while in some regards because of my caring responsibilities . I’m looking forward to get back to keeping fit, seeing my mates, doing up our home, travelling and making all the stuff that’s been on the back burner. Age definitely is just a number. Life continues as normal until it changes and then I’ll adapt. I’m good at that.

Disclaimer

This post contains links to companies and organisations just because I’m happy with the products or services that they supply or I’m spreading the word about what they do. There may also be affiliate links to Amazon for books and other items that I am personally recommending. If you decide to make a purchase from them, I might get a little bit of commission at no cost to you.