By: Chuck Miller
Reflection

Double nickels in 2018

Yesterday I turned 55 years old.Β  55 years on this planet.

Wow.

I’m freakin’ old as hell.

What does it mean to turn 55?

Well, I didn’t celebrate it in the blog yesterday, mostly because it was Saturday and I felt it was more important to share my “7 and 7” Saturday blog recap post instead.

It also means I’ve been blogging every day, without fail, in one form or another, for ten years straight.Β  Yikes.Β  Take a day off at some point, wouldja Chuck?Β  Ha.

Then again, I don’t think of what I do every morning as a chore.Β  I consider my blog an integral part of waking up in the AM, similar to brushing my teeth or showering.Β  It’s part of my morning routine.

Of course, now that I’m 55, I can actually order from the Denny’s senior citizen menu without feeling like I’ve violated some ersatz “you’re not old enough to get this discount” deal.

But really … you only get one chance in life to get as far as you can, as long as you can, and you need to make every moment in your life count as if it was your last moment upon this planet.

Hopefully, I’ve done that.

And hopefully and if God is willing, I can still do this.

This morning, I’m heading to Syracuse for my big reveal – the results of my four accepted entries at the New York State Fair.Β  Three in the arts and crafts section of the Fair, and one – for the first time in three years – in the photography section of the Fair.

We shall see.Β  And we shall hope.

Those entries are based on events in my life that occurred years and years ago – twenty years ago I took up photography as a lark, an attempt to capture images for writing projects without having to hire or pay a photographer for their time.Β  Do it yourself, Miller.Β  And over those two decades or so, I’ve learned what to do and what not to do with a camera.Β  And I’m still learning today.

About seven years ago, after I went from being married to being a single man, I took up a recycling and upcycling itch that had festered in me for many years prior.Β  Thus came Dream Windows and Crate Art Projects and burlap stitching creations.Β  And much more.Β  This is good.Β  This is what matters, the ability to progress forward and be there to experience the labors and celebrate the results.

And I’m not done yet.

Thank you, my beloved blog readers, who stay with me every day and keep me focused on what I currently do.Β  Thank you for laughing with me, dancing with me, crying with me, healing with me, and letting me know everything will be fine once the rain stops.Β  Whether you agree with what I say or you think I’m a total idiot, at least you’re listening.Β  And I’ll take that.

But for now, right now, I have to get on the road.Β  Syracuse calls.Β  And maybe there’s some good news today.

We shall see.

Besides … this is maybe the first day I can use this Sammy Hagar video and not feel it’s just about highway speeds.