My young friend across the street has been talking about her thirteenth birthday all year. She’s “finally a real teenager.” Three of my girlfriends from college are equally giddy about becoming grandparents. They’re ordering overstuffed teddy bears and adorable outfits, sizes 9-12 months to 3T. Most of us in midlife, however, are hard-pressed to point out special events worth celebrating in our daily lives. We already own a driver’s license (for now); we’ve been voting for decades. We’re past the life-altering decisions about whether to marry or raise of family, or where to live and work. So, what’s left for middle aged grown-ups celebrate?

Maybe we need to redefine our reasons for rejoicing. A little creativity, and we can pull out the party napkins on a regular basis. For example, how about texting a few friends to share this milestone: “You aren’t going to believe this, I walked out to the garage and actually remembered why!” Or, “As of October 10, I’ve gone 4 weeks without losing my car keys – dinner’s on me!” Let the younger generations roll their eyes and secretly wonder if we should be out in public; these victories deserve a party 🙂

None of us grew up with computers, cell phones, or even TV remotes. Still, we’ve courageously navigated the digital world, embraced emojis, and even signed up for paperless bills – heroic feats that we overlook every day. Next time you’re eating out with friends (at 5:30 “to beat the crowd”), why not shift the conversation from young people’s milestones to our own grand accomplishments? We could create new rituals or design a trendy line of Hallmark cards for these remarkable moments:

• Remembering where we parked our car at the grocery.
• Showing up for events at the right time and place . . . on the right day.
• Writing notes in cursive to people who can actually read them.
• Still mowing our own lawn.
• Dazzling the young people at the gym with our self-assured moves at the “new” step aerobics class.
• Creating a playlist from five to six decades of real music.
• Keeping in touch with friends we’re known for 30, 40, and 50 years.

I’m sure you could add dozens of events that warrant a happy dance (no sudden moves, now). Once we adjust our criteria for what’s worth celebrating, we’ll be going to more parties than that terrible season in our lives when all we did was a RSVP “yes” for bridal and baby showers.

Two weeks ago, my friend Kim and I were talking (38 years of ups, downs, and inside outs together). It’s back to school season, and her nieces were starting fourth grade – inconceivable – how could the triplets be 10 years old? Then it occurred to me that I crossed a threshold myself recently. “Guess who rocked her bone density test this week,” I bragged. “That doctor’s 17-year-old-looking face couldn’t hide his astonishment.” Now, if I could just remember where I stored that bag of confetti!