It’s my 73rd birthday today

It’s my 73rd birthday today so I’m looking back and deeper, trying to find where I fit in the scheme of things. I’ve lived through an incredible era, from the much gentler days of horses and carts delivering milk and bread to homes, then the introduction of TV in the 1950s, the first supermarkets in the 60’s, credit cards in the 1970s and later the Human Genome Project, computers and the internet. And of course I’ve seen all the less desirable things like the invention of plastic, the pollution of our oceans, air and land, wars, terrorism, global warming and mass extinctions. I wish I could add that equal rights for black people and equal pay for women were two important achievements I witnessed but sadly, they’re not. I hope they will be something you can claim in your lifetime.

I usually take a photo of myself on my birthday but this year I have this portrait my five year old granddaughter Eve gave me yesterday. I'm wearing my birthday crown so it suits this post more than anything I could create. Thank you Eve. xx

My life got better as I grew older. I met Hanno on my 28th birthday, I was 32 and 33 when our sons were born. I was 49 when we came to live in our home here and 55 when I gave up work and suddenly discovered a unique way of looking at life. I was 59 when I started blogging, 60 when I spent all my time working in my home and in the community as volunteer coordination of our local Neighbourhood Centre. I was 63 when I became a grandma for the first time, 64 when Down to Earth was published as a hard cover, 68 when The Simple Home was published and 70 when I was diagnosed with a non-malignant brain tumour. Paperback Down to Earth came along when I was 72.

Life has been up and down with many of the everyday traumas and worries most of us experience but through it all I always worked towards the next goal and consciously strived to remain helpful, generous, respectful and kind. Then Covid changed the world in ways that truly shocked me. The world changed, cities emptied, shops, universities and schools closed, travel stopped, borders closed and we couldn’t attend ordinary family events such as weddings, births and funerals. Loved ones died alone, weddings were postponed but happily the babies kept coming. We had to wear masks when we went out, we couldn’t touch our friends and relatives, and millions of people lost their jobs. I NEVER thought I’d ever see anything like it.

I believe the world will never be the same after Covid and sadly, that the opportunity to change the problematic way we live, will not be realised. I doubt Covid will be eradicated. I think it will be yet another disease we’ll have to be vaccinated for every year. My focus now is to encourage my grandchildren to learn traditional skills that will help them survive if things get worse.

But having said all that, I’m happier now than I’ve ever been. I know that is because of the choices I’ve made along the way and because of the incredible family I am surrounded by. But it also shows that even when a catastrophe stops life as we know it, the joy of simple living remains and by working quietly and slowly in our own homes, we can adapt and thrive. And it doesn’t take much for that to happen - a family and friends, seeds and a place to grow them, knowing how to cook, preserve and store food, being able to mend, sew, knit and make what you need, and the skills to look after yourself and what you have. They’re all simple but significant skills that you weave into a way of life that will be held strong and unshakable by the values you live by. And on this 73rd birthday, I’m very thankful I know that. 

💜 💚 💜