we're the grownups

My friend turns 50 today. My sister has been married 16 yrs as of today. My sister in law turns 51 today and my goddaughter turns 20 today. How can this be? It's one thing for me to be 50 and for us to be married 25 years, but it's another thing to have the people I love turning 50, etc. At this moment, I am aware that we really must "seize the day"... carpe diem, I guess I'm never really going to learn Latin or climb Mt. Everest or make out with Robert Redford. Which brings me to the realization that one of the goodies of being middle aged is that there is a nice peace in coming home to who one really is, and in appreciating where, in fact I am able to go for a walk and what I am able to communicate in the one language I'm mildly proficient in. I'm happy that I am kissing the same lips after 25 yrs too!! Back to seizing the day, which at this point looks like this: smell the star jasmine growing by the front door and the blossoms on our lemon trees, and watch the cilantro and tomatoes and kale grow in the garden. I'll ponder what it means to be the grown ups later.