A Sexagenarians Lament

I see by the old clock on the wall, that I like so many others of the boomer generation will soon be turning 60. I thought I might not want to wait until the last minute to say what I have to say for you never know what the future holds. It some times is frustrating to read the notable birthdays for the day and find that no one listed is older than you.

A person turning 60 this year will have spent his/her time on earth in 7 different decades. Once you reach 60 this year, you will have lived 720 months; 21900+ days (taking into account leap years); roughly 525, 600 hours; 31,536,00 or more minutes; and close to 2 trillion seconds. Sounds like the Government budget report. Math was never my premier subject and my calculations may be off, but I think you get the picture.

We have watched our children grow and some have been blessed with grandchildren, although I for one abhor the thought of dealing with another messy diaper. We have lived through wars and watched the economy peak and plummet. President have come and passed and man has walked the moon. We have run the gamut from the genesis of black and white TV to iPod; rotary to cellular phones; bigotry to racial harmony. The children of Woodstock with flowers in our hair chasing the Beatles and White Rabbits.

It is said that you are only as old as you feel. There are some mornings I would gladly trade my aching joints and weary bones to a younger person in exchange for a few hours more of precious sleep. I am the rule, not the exception. My tennis game is off. Blurry restaurant menus intimidate. Jay walking is much more of a challenge today than yesterday.

And Love; what of Love? Is it too late in life to pursue romance? Fireflies glow in search of a mate and seem to have no trouble with the approach. Have the complexities of daily toil dimmed our blinking lights ? Or are we troubled by the past? We once thought we were in love, but the niceties eventually vanish and the thoughts of the past finally subside. We were never in love. For to be over means it never was.

You’ll never find new oceans unless you risk losing sight of the shore. And you’ll never truly live without taking a risk. I think I can find time for another couple of trillion seconds.