When I started thinking about a topic for this week’s blog, I began thinking about how 2023 was nearly gone. The song “It Was a Very Good Year”, by Frank Sinatra came to mind. I looked up the lyrics in case I wanted to use any in this writing. What I found was very interesting.
In the first three stanzas, his descriptions revolve around relationships and experiences:
When I was 17, it was a very good year
It was a very good year for small town girls
And soft summer nights
We’d hide from the lights
On the village green
When I was 17
When I was 21, it was a very good year
It was a very good year for city girls
Who lived up the stairs
With all that perfumed hair
And it came undone
When I was 21
When I was 35, it was a very good year
It was a very good year for blue-blooded girls
Of independent means
We’d ride in limousines
Their chauffeurs would drive
When I was 35
In the final stanza, in what he calls the autumn of his years, the focus changes to that of nostalgia and gratitude and acknowledgement that time is moving quickly:
But now the days are short, I’m in the autumn of my years
And now I think of my life as vintage wine
From fine old kegs
From the brim to the dregs
It poured sweet and clear
It was a very good year
That’s how I’m experiencing the passage of time lately as well. Gone are the days where my idea of a good year revolves around thrilling or exhilarating experiences, and lots of other people.
A good year for me now involves lots of time for quiet reflection, and I’m most comfortable in my own company or with that of my small circle of mostly family and a few friends.
2023 wasn’t the year I thought it would be. I had hopes for some circumstances and experience that didn’t happen. But you know what? I had the year I was meant to have, and as it turns out, it was a very good year.
Betsy is a certified life coach, running coach and blogger who helps midlife women find satisfaction where they are now and inspiration to go after their big goals.
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