Welcome, I’m Mary Louisa Locke, the author of the USA Today best-selling Victorian San Francisco Mystery series and the Caelestis Science Fiction series. In this daily newsletter, I reflect on my life as an indie author trying to age gracefully, including my struggles to maintain a balanced life, what I listen to, read, and watch for entertainment, and occasional bits of information I’ve gleaned from doing the research for my novels.
Daily Diary, , Day 1241:
Today’s my birthday, and it’s been a busy day so far.
I did actually get some writing done yesterday, not a lot, but after it seemed days of writing, cutting, rearranging, or getting distracted by other things on the to-do list, it felt good to make some progress. However, I doubt if I will get any more done today, since I’ve already cleaned, had lab test, had a minor run in with a stanchion at the parking lot (no harm done but a scrape on car bumper) Rio the border collie came over, and after this post goes up, I will have my noon zoom meeting and meeting after meeting. So, hey, pretty normal day (smile.)
On my walk yesterday evening, I was feeling as if I should somehow get out a special birthday post today, something about what it feels like to be turning 74, which means I am now squarely in my “mid-seventies.” I’ve never had any particular trepidation about growing older, and I have generally been happy to embrace birthdays, not as particularly special, but a nice reminder of the passage of time and curiosity about what the next year will bring.
Having been born in January of 1950, it’s been easy to identify with those birthdays when my age and a new decade begins. So, for example, when I turned 10, we entered the sixties, and I can look back and marvel at the fact that at the beginning of the decade I was a shy, rather awkward child, who didn’t feel as if I fit in anywhere, but by the mid-sixties I had come into my own, as part of a large group of high school girls who proudly called ourselves nerds, and I participated tangentially in the civil rights movement, had my first boyfriend, and went off to college, leaving the skirts that went below the knees behind to wear mini-skirts and bell-bottoms, started protesting as part of the anti-war movement, and then at the end of the decade, met my future husband.
Needless to say, I loved the sixties, but each decade of my life and of the century, has had its own flavor for me. However, I have no more time today to ruminate about the past, too busy living that life. But maybe my goal between now and next year (when I turn 75) should be to slowly peck away at a series of essays that will consider each decade, and then I will be ready to post a really fun birthday post next year!
But not today.
Photo is of me with lovely shawl my husband got for me for my birthday, and the amaryllis my wonderful step-sister Alice got for me for Christmas that decided to bloom today for me!
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Happy birthday!
Happy Birthday wishes coming from Northern Ontario. I love your daily post so I thank you for taking the time to send them out every day. Keep well! 😊