Life by the Numbers

Today I turned 68.  There was only one other kid in my class as old as me, so Happy Birthday Joanie!  There were at least a dozen fellow classmates and other folks I've known though the years who posted birthday wishes on my Facebook page. Even an ex-husband wished me a "Happy Birthday."  What else can a girl ask for?  I thank everyone for all those good wishes. My daughter sent flowers to home and my husband sent flowers to work.  My sisters called and cards arrived.

But this year is different.  I can't just ignore the fact that I'm 10 months away from leaving the world of school  and work I've lived in for 50 years.   It's time for an accounting.  I found it revealing - both enlightening and silly.

• Children 1 - She's the girl I always wanted  even if she didn't pop out of my body.
• Grandchildren 3 -  Ages 18, 16 and 3.
• Books published 2  and book unpublished 1 - It's a whole lot easier to write about business than fiction.
• Degrees 3 - Guess I really liked the going to school gig.
• Husbands 4 - As a shrink once said, "Dorine, you certainly can't pick'm, but you sure can't leave'm."  The nice thing is I've reconnected and reconciled with the first three in the last few years.
• Longest relationship 22 years - With husband #4.  He let's me think that I am in charge. And, most importantly, he loves to shop and learned to sail even if he can't swim a stroke.
• Careers 5 - Airline attendant, corporate climber, consultant, business owner and professor. I either love variety or am totally unable to focus.  I don't count the time I sold shoes at Nordstrom's for six weeks. 
• Most embarrassing personal moment as a kid 1 - The cops caught me with my high school sweetheart, naked, parked in a corn field in his dad's red Dodge station wagon in 1966.  There are just some things one never, never forgets. And, no, I won't provide details and I'm sure he won't either.
• Most embarrassing as an adult 1 - My boss finding out that I was having an relationship with her boyfriend back in 1972.  In my defense, I didn't know it when the relationship started. But, in retrospect, it was a wild time, those 70's.
• Most accomplished sport 1 - I could beat guys with bad knees at racquetball.
• Job firings 2- lost two clients for stupid stuff in the 1980s.
• Most exciting adventures 2 - Sailing off shore to Block Island and living on a boat in  Bahamas for six months.
• Most thrilling event 1 - Being at my daughter's side with my son-law when she gave birth to her second son. 
• Most memorable description of me 1 - Coined by my friend since first grade  as I left the Midwest for the east coast in 1971--"Determined little dumpling."  She's always had a way with words.
• Regrets 0 -  I'll never say "I wish, I could of."

All of that and more makes me one happy person as I prepare for the next stage of my life.  What's the most exciting time of my life -- Now and what's lies ahead.