I’ve just finished my first week of being 63. The body is getting older but my spirit still feels young.

It continues to be strange reconciling my mental image with my physical reality.

This week, a cashier gave me the senior discount without even asking. They looked at me and applied it.

I’m not sixty-five yet!

But I didn’t quibble with getting a discount.

One of the ways to stay young is to continue to have goals. To continue to grow. To continue to learn.

My word for Groon 63 is Create.

I want to focus on my creativity this year.

I write plays, but I’ve been in a playwriting slump for a few years. And I’ve put pressure on myself to get back to it.

Instead of concentrating only on playwriting, I’ll focus on all the ways that I can be creative this year.

I will continue to do some playwriting, but work on the process instead of the product. Lean into the baby steps of writing a little without the pressure of needing to have a finished play.

And I’ll do some more blogging, obviously. But again, focus on the process, instead of worrying about the product. I’ll try to get in a post a week, but won’t beat myself up over it.

Instead, I’ll devote some time to writing without needing to complete something.

Progress over perfection.

I will spend some more time on my singing for the choir. I need to make time for it in my daily activities. I can tell the difference in my singing when I play with it daily.

Last year, I made a couple of videos for my choir’s concerts. I didn’t publish them all, but I had fun making them. I’m going to try some more of that, too!

I want to be creative daily in Groon 63.

There’s also my elusive Marathon Weight. I’ve always had good reasons to get my weight lowered, but now I have two more reasons: Atlas and Helena. My grandchildren. So, I’ll be focusing on reducing my weight. At the very least, I’d like to get down to 190 lbs this year. And stay there.

Speaking of my grandchildren, I want to be able to see more of them. Even if it’s only on Messenger or Zoom. Communication technology is a great gift. One that my parents didn’t have when our children were growing up. I want to make more opportunities to see my kids and grandkids.

So there you go. My three goals for Groon 63:

• Focus on my creativity.
• Get my weight down to 190 lbs.
• Spend time with my kids virtually or in real life.