My dad took me out to lunch today. He greeted me with a huge smile and told me he had been dying to ask me a question for a very long time. Twenty-three years ago my older brother and I had taken him out to dinner for his 60th birthday. We had jokingly asked him how it felt to be 60 YEARS OLD. And so my dad asked me that same question today. HOW DOES IT FEEL?
The answer is not much different than yesterday.
Time sneaks up on all of us it seems. When we are young we can hardly wait for the years to pass but as we get older the opposite becomes true. Time flies by and we dig in our heals to try and slow things down a little. It doesn't.
Being 60 years old does not bother me in the least. But as I think about things, the fact that age 70 is only ten years away is a bit intimidating. All this makes me more resolved than ever to make every moment count. I won't be putting much effort into saving and planning my retirement. Quite the contrary. I'm going to enjoy the present. I'll be as creative as possible. I have dreams to think about, drawings to draw, projects to plan and teams to lead as we build our very best work yet. I have a lot I can share with others, hopefully making things a little easier and perhaps inspiring a few along the way. I am resolved to be a positive force, to add to people's day rather than take away.
A good friend who phoned me today assured me that at my current speed I would most likely squeeze in at least fifteen more great years before I turned 70. He is probably right. At the very least I'll give it my best shot!
-grampa dan