Decade #9

Today is my dad's 80th birthday. He has now been on this earth for 8 full decades. That is inconceivable to me. Even though I am fully aware that my grandfather has nearly completed his 103rd year, an 80 year old father has no place in my brain. I clearly remember driving up to my grandfathers house many years old as he was coming down the ladder from his roof. After I explained to my son that he was in the process of reroofing his house, Dave asked how old he was and I responded "80" as if the words I had just spoken were actually 45 or 50. It was not unusual for my grandfather to do things like that. So my father is now the age my grandfather was so many summers ago. And no, it would not be a surprise to drive up my father's driveway and find him reroofing his house either. It is what those Allen men do. They live a long time and they do by themselves whatever needs to be done. I am definitely an Allen in every sense of the word - single-minded (stubborn) and independent (I'll do it myself!). However, I am often frightened of the Allen longevity trait. I am not employed in a job that has allowed for much saving for the future. And my single-minded, independent streak was not an asset in my divorce. I just wanted out and believed that I would somehow make ends meet because I was an Allen and that's what we do. Good for my self esteem but not for any long term financial goals. So here I am, thinking that I am nearing the end of my career but today am reminded that I have a 102 year old grandfather and now an 80 year old father. It is almost a given that I will live another 25 years. These breaks from school used to make me think about what else I could be doing but now I just think about retirement. Maybe I need a transition plan. Instead of when shall I retire, the new question of the day becomes what shall I do when I leave teaching? In the meantime, I will simply celebrate the Allen men and give thanks that I still have them both in my life, leading me through the obstacles and celebrating all the joys of this earthly life. I am a lucky girl.