Contentment

At the dawn of a new decade

I sit in quiet
contentment,
late into the night, 
the celebrations 
over, the echoes
imprinted as
moon glow on
snow.  That is to
say, it’s beautiful.

I let the breath
of each blessing,
five full decades 
in the making, to
settle into my
bones, so grateful
to have learned
and to have landed 
more deeply in love
with this life.
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This poem is for everyone that made this milestone birthday such a beautiful celebration of love and friendship.  It is my heart-open thanks to each of you for being in my life; I am so grateful. At 52 and 53, I faced the uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis, multiple surgeries, months of chemo and radiation, the loss of hair and thankfully, the loss of complacency that tomorrow will come.  It is one of the reasons I retired at 58 with the desire to live more fully into what really matters.  I started paying attention with more intention, loving with more abandon, and writing as a means of offering something beautiful to the world (that was my hope). At 60, I am content in a way that
opens my eyes to the wonder, joy and beauty of this life.  And because of you all, I have come to realize it is good to be known and to love and be loved so well.