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Here’s What I Said to Everyone at My 50th Birthday Party
Wisdom from a newly-minted quinquagenarian.
“Two weeks ago I came up with the perfect thing to say on this occasion, but I failed to write it down and now, being fifty, of course I forgot.
“Already, I’m using sticky notes for everything.
“I think my body knows I’m fifty but my brain and my heart remain blissfully unaware. I’ve already had my first arthritis related surgery and last week the eye doctor proscribed two sets of eyeglasses. I’m getting regular injections in my knee and there’s more my hair growing in my ears than on my scalp, but I still feel strong and I’m told I look pretty fit. Last month, I moved over five thousand pounds of crushed stone into the vegetable garden by myself, so I can’t be too far gone, although, technically, I was in my forties when I did that. And it did take a full week to recover. And a lot of ice. But generally all is physically well. Or well-ish. Well enough.
“Looking back, now I’m beginning to see that my childhood and college experiences were probably pretty standard, except for maybe all the gay stuff. Still, it was definitely the subsequent decades that were stuffed with my most prized realizations and accomplishments, my significant failures and deceptions, and the highs and lows that build a life. And now, even most of those…
