Musings on my 65th Birthday

 

Today is my 65th birthday. It seems impossible to comprehend the passage of so many years. Where did the time go? How did 65 years fly by in what feels like the blink of an eye! I can still recall being a four year old child, looking out the window of my brother’s bedroom, watching the elementary students at Saint Bridget boarding school buses across the street and dreaming of someday being a part of that group! 

Now I am reflecting on the wonderful experiences of a well lived life to date and thinking about how life in America and the world has changed since July 21, 1959. 

I entered the world on the cusp of the space age. The Gemini, Mercury and Apollo astronauts were my heroes. I mourned the murders of JFK, RFK and MLK. I watched the Apollo 11 moon landing, gave bicentennial tours of CASS county, Indiana in 1976, traveled to London and Paris on a school adventure when I was 16.

My friends and I sang in choirs, wrote for the Logansport High School yearbook and newspaper, went to speech meets and music contests, enjoyed high school basketball, football and baseball games. We gathered at our friends houses and argued about politics and religion. We believed in the promise of our futures in an America that afforded opportunities. 

It was a turbulent time during my childhood. The conflict in Vietnam. The political unrest. Civil Rights demonstrations and progress. The women’s movement. A whirlwind of change, progress, unrest, great music, the counterculture, and women and other minorities finally stepping on the first rung of the corporate ladder. 

Today, I’m contemplating retirement after 40+ years in the insurance industry, a career built solely on the basis that I needed a job, was offered a job as a claims adjuster, and accepted the job even though I didn’t know anything about the work. That happened quite often to young people of my cohort. We embraced opportunities without thinking about fulfillment, work life balance, or perks. Earning a paycheck ruled the day.

I do not look back with regrets, wishing I’d made different or better decisions. Every step, whether excellent, horrible, pretty good, savvy, stupid, boneheaded, thoughtful, impulsive, right or wrong, healthy or unhealthy, kind or cruel, brought me to where I am today. And I am content, genuinely happy, and in a place primarily filled with peace and serenity and gratitude for the good fortune, abundance, excellent health, integrity, blessings and beauty that surrounds me.