When I was a kid, I loved the a.a. milne poem, Now We Are Six:
When I was one,
I had just begun.
When I was two,
I was nearly new.
When I was three,
I was hardly me.
When I was four,
I was not much more.
When I was five,
I was just alive.
But now I am six,
I’m as clever as clever.
So I think I’ll be six
now and forever.

This week I turned 45—as my good friend LIsa said, I’m halfway to 90 now. And while I’ve grown up a little since I was six, I like to think I’m not finished yet.
I heard American actor Ben Affleck say in a talk show interview that he turned 40 this year and is “halfway to death”. I prefer to think of it as midway through life.
I have always approached my milestone birthdays with happiness, never with trepidation. It’s the same with this birthday.
I have always believed that life is what you make of it. Are there some decisions I have made that I’d like to take back? Perhaps. Have I made mistakes? Definitely. But I chalk them up to learning experiences and move on.

Enjoying dinner with my husband Cyril at The Breakwater restaurant at the Kingfisher Oceanside Inn, Royston, BC

While the body bruises a little easier and heals a little slower now, I am still having as much fun as I was in my 20s. I have accomplished a lot and done things that not many others can say, such as flying with the Snowbirds, flying in a CF-18 fighter jet, jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet (with a Canadian Forces Skyhawk strapped firmly to my back!), earning my pilot’s licence after spending so much time in the passenger seat of various aircraft, and more.

At 43, I learned to play hockey.

Following a “learn to play hockey” session at the AV Multiplex in 2011.

At 44, I helped write a book (a historical “then and now” book celebrating Port Alberni’s centennial)…

My one and only book signing at the Capitol Theatre. Thanks to Charmead Schella for the photo.

…and learned how to knit (for the second time).

Current project on the needles: a dishcloth.

What’s in store for me now that I’m 45? I haven’t a clue. But I’m looking forward to finding out!