Is it just me, or has this year flown by faster than most? Here we are three-quarters of the way to the end, and I can already look back on more changes than most years bring in the full complement of twelve months. Which, by the way, this year has, the same as any other year.

And the rest of the year is promising as well. The cruise is in six weeks. (My first cruise!) Then come what we euphemistically call "the Holidays," meaning all those special days we find a reason to get together, eat and drink to excess ("To excess!"), and just generally celebrate life (and the fact that we've nearly made it through another year). And in January, the wedding.

Plus, there are about three dozen family birthdays between now and January. I mean. We've had quite a full year already, and it's barely begun.

I seem to be more sensitive to the passage of time these days. Maybe it's just because I don't have as much of it left as I did before. (And who does?) Maybe it's that there are so many more interesting things going on than I'm used to. I'm appreciating all the people in my life and enjoying the time I spend with them, but at the same time I'm savoring the days like today, sleeping late and kicking back.

It's a matter of balance, I guess. The old routines served me well, and the new adventures are making me recognize the value of taking advantage of what time there is, because there's never going to be enough of it to do everything that there is to do. If you spend too much time playing solitaire, you'll never know how it feels to win a poker hand.

That's not all there is to life, though. At least, it isn't all there is to my life. I've come fairly late to the full appreciation of living the way I do, and I'm no longer sorry (as I was when I was younger) for any of the choices I've made or not made. On really rosy days like this, I feel as if I have it all. Enough alone time to give me a sense of peace, but also family and friends who are fun to be around.

Taking it all into account, it really doesn't matter how many days I've wasted or how many I have left. Each new day that comes and goes brings its own special magic, unique and memorable.

Even today, I had it all. The whole day to rest up and prepare myself for another week ahead, plus a few hours in the company of people whom I'm comfortable being around. I went with Mom to the silent auction fundraiser at the school where Suzanne teaches. My family was there, and also a lot of young families made up of caring parents and their lively, energetic children. I even got to spend some guilt-free money. How could I ask for a better Sunday?