Today I turn 50 - well that's what the calendar says. Optimists tell me I should look forward not back but such symbolic milestones make one pause for reflection. What do my fifty years amount to? Have I really accomplished anything of significance? As a numbers guy I have been reflecting on my 18,262 days or is it 438,288 hours or 26,297,280 minutes?
First the mundane:
- 11 houses/apartments in 7 cities and 2 countries
- 7 employers (never been fired - yet)
- born the same year as the President and Princess Di
- born the same day and year as Dan Marino - his passing arm beats mine
- born the same day as Prince Harry!
Now the vain:
- 56 countries visited (slept in all of them; also slept in every English and Scottish county - the old ones before the 70's realignment and yes I have slept in Rutland and Renfrewshire)
- 2,742 plane flights through 188 different airports covering approximately 3.6 million miles
- 264 different golf courses played on four continents - balls lost on all of 'em
- 4 books written (not sure if any were read but who cares!) - the ultimate ego trip!
All fun stuff but not very meaningful. But you know what? I feel great - here's why:
- I have had some wonderful experiences courtesy of other people and that's what makes each day seem special (even the shitty ones!)
- For my first 37 years I was blessed with two wonderful parents - they left too soon but not before they did their job right (in my opinion)
- I have spent 62% of my life loving my darling wife (well the first few % may have been lusting after, then I added the loving to the equation) and after 31 years together, 26 of them married I look forward to many more years of lusting - sorry loving. Fun fact: Yesterday (14 Sep) marked the 31st anniversary of our first date, the day before my 19th birthday!
- 18 years as a parent - a beautiful and intelligent daughter now navigating here way through her freshman year at college and a beautiful (Dad's can say that) and intelligent son in his junior year in high school. Who cares what I accomplish going forward, the pressure's off me. I get way more satisfaction from their accomplishments than I do from any of my own. That's the best bit of all this. My hope for the future is that one day they will remember their Dad in the same way I remember my parents - I can ask for no more.
So with a half-century under my belt (well actually its hanging over the top of my belt) its off on the second half of the journey and I can't wait.
Let's rock n' roll...
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