60? REALLY??

I have never been one for milestones.

 I don’t really set goals for myself or chart a path for my life. 

I have never had a new year’s resolution!

 I basically chug a long one day at a time, focusing on the issues at hand and not much more.

This weekend marks two milestones that I never thought I would achieve.

I would never have been so bold as to even set them as a goal!!

This Rambling will deal with one of those goals today.

Sunday, I turn 60 years old……60!!

Turning 60 is an achievement I never thought I would attain. 

As a young man my vision for the future never had a 4th quarter built in.

I’m not sure why but my vision for my future was always extremely limited. Very shallow, and the idea of decades out seemed unattainable.

Although never envisioned or even imagined, here I am.

For those whom 60 is long gone, my ramblings may seem humorous, even a bit dramatic as you navigated this milestone and pushed on with little to no fanfare.

For me age has always been just a number.

 I never really saw birthdays as a big deal and would often joke that hitting a birthday simply meant I survived another trip around the sun.

 Something to celebrate in and of itself I guess, but not something I paid much attention to. 

Just another day.

But this year for some reason feels different. 

From the time I could see 60 approaching I started to think differently. 

To reflect, to regret as well as celebrate. 

To look forward with a new focus that was always lacking in my life to this point.

I have spent more time looking "back"  this year than looking forward. 

It’s often easy to get stuck in the stories of yesterday.

 I have been looking back to try to see where it all went. 

The 30’s, 40’s, and now the  50’s gone, in what seems a blink of an eye.

What has my life amounted to? 

What did I make of my 60 years on this rock?

At times, a deep sense of sadness or melancholy has overtaken me this year for reasons I can’t explain. 

Lost opportunities? Regrets? 

Not really sure. 

While journeying back through time scouring for memories to add substance to the years left behind, I would often feel like my life had slowly slipped away and I couldn’t seem to recall what I had lost.

I have traveled to every state in the country except North Dekota.  Most of that travel took place in the late 1990’s early 2000’s. 

Every year I lose a little more of that journey. 

I know I went to Kansas, but I can’t remember when or why. 

I know I went here or there but the memories have gone as though never there to begin with.

Through my travels I have met thousands of people. 

Many of them I even called friends. 

Far too many have slipped beyond the edge and if not gone, the memories have faded beyond recognition.

Yes, I know what you are all thinking.

 It’s a part of aging to forget things and it’s only natural to have decades of experiences fade over time. 

Yes, it may be natural, and it may be an inevitable part of reaching the 4th quarter of this game we call life. 

But for the first time, this year, I became aware that …...

It was me! 

I am that 4th quarter player.

So, in the past year there have been many trips through the rear-view mirror. Some went well. Many were dead ends,

This year also saw an increased attention and focus on the future. 

With the Average American lifespan down slightly to 76.33 year, the time I have left before I am running on borrowed time seems frighteningly short compared to the years I have already stacked up.

16 years! 

Obviously, I could live longer and there is also a chance I might not make the 16. 

One never knows.

Again, this is nothing new and it is a natural part of aging that billions of people have experienced since time began.

But once again.

 This is now me. 

I am that person.

The past year has been a solid and healthy grounding you might say, a real look at the path I have made on this earth so far and a decision to look forward and contemplate how I want the next phase to go.  

The country artist Tim McGraw has a hit song “Live Like You Were Dying “. 

I would say that is sage advice for anyone no matter how old you are, as we never know how many days any of us have left.

But for me, entering the 4th quarter, 

I have decided to take that to heart.

How I got here doesn’t matter and the rearview mirror has been removed. 

There is only one path now and it is forward! 

Forward with a focus on making memories with family and friends! Making sure my loved ones know how much I love them, and making sure that when I am gone, my grandbabies smile every time they think of me!

Now that’s a set of goals worth working on!!