Yesterday was my best friend's birthday. The big "60"! The day was spent quietly with friends, eating and drinking, and just hanging out. It was a nice time to just kick back and enjoy the day. And since we both believe in extending the celebration into birthday "weeks" and "months" you can believe that we will be doing a lot more of the same!For some reason most people dread birthdays. They seem to evoke feelings of melancholy or remorse. Melancholy for the loss of youth I guess or remorse that they have not used the time more productively. However not my friend nor I for that matter. Both of us have strangely enough enjoyed each and every birthday and milestone and have celebrated them with much joy and enthusiasm.
I remember my 20th year. I couldn't wait to be, officially, a young man, no longer a teenager with all of the baggage attached to that stigma. My 30th was a signal that I had become "mature" and that from then on I would be respected for my accomplishments. No longer a trainee in the game of life. 40 brought with it the freedom that comes with experience of the last 40 years. The seasoning of the life that I had endeavoured to create. 50 was a signal that I had arrived at the pinnacle of my career and could therefore take the time to enjoy more fully the fruits of my accomplishments. All that was fine but it took 60 to make me realize just how wonderful my previous 60 had been.
With 60 came the wrath of the downsizing, outsourcing and decontenting of a world rampant in it's greed and lust for wealth and power. But you know what else 60 brought? It brought us both the peace and security that we had so closely nurtured for those past 60 wonderful years. Because we had used the lessons of those years to build a safe port - a secure place to weather the storms.
So what do I like about being 60? Well, if nothing else, I don't have to go though my 50's again ...
