Recently I received a birthday card greeting from a friend. The note said: “Dahling, age is just a number, best left unlisted.” I had turned Medicare age and surprisingly felt free to experience life to the fullest.

What could I do to celebrate and challenge the boundaries of what “senior citizen” means? I decided what I wanted to do was to overcome my fear of horses.

The first time I rode a horse was 40 years ago and the old mare I was riding got spooked, reared up on its hind legs, then galloped with me flying through the air. That fear of being bucked off the horse was imprinted in my psyche.

So when my friend asked me how I wanted to celebrate, I said: “I want to ride a horse!” That day we drove out to Turtle Bay stables. And as I cautiously mounted Flash, my chestnut colored horse, I had decided that fear was no longer going to control me and becoming a senior citizen was liberating. This was my freedom ride along the beach of Kawela Bay. It was a perfect ride on the perfect day when age is just a number.