Turning 50

Today I turned fifty. I've heard it said that fifty is the new forty. Well forty sounds awfully damn old to me. To be fair I think once you pass forty-five you consider yourself fifty anyway and it's all down hill from there.

In our psyches we're in our twenties. The most vivid memories I have are from then. It seems like it was just last week.

Now I have a decision to make. Should I just let myself go, get fat and accept my age and appearance because no one else really cares? Or do I keep up the fight deluding myself that I'm still attractive and viable?

I guess it helps if you still have unrealized dreams. You still have something to fight for. There's no motivation as strong as failure. Maybe I should rephrase that; accomplishments yet to be realized.

When I was born in 1958 the planet's population was around 2.945 billion people. Somewhere late in 1999 we reached 6 billion people and we'll reach 9 billion before 2050. Man, if I live long enough the planet will be like a popular, overcrowded bar. I sure hope the conversation will be stimulating.

I grew up with The Beatles, the space program, and the civil rights movement. When I was in 1^st grade I remember listening to my favorite song on St. Louis' KXOK radio. It was Lena Horne's version of Stormy Weather. Out of nowhere, The Beatles version of Twist and Shout came screaming out of the radio. Why The Isley Brothers version didn't make such an impact was a symptom of the times. That would all change. There was no turning back now, the rules had changed. Six years old was a little young to have such an epiphany but this was just the beginning of the 60s.

My second grade class watched the last piece being placed on top of the St. Louis Arch from my school in 1965. Years later I'd be skydiving with the guy that base jumped from it.

I guess those commercials about aging baby boomers are right. We're not going down quietly. I still skydive, roller blade and swim most mornings.

My 13 year old son congratulated me for making it to the half way point of my life. I didn't have the heart to tell him I thought it could all end tomorrow. Especially considering health care is totally beyond my reach.