My 70th Birthday

A little over a week ago, I had my 70th birthday. It was a big deal! It was one of those “milestone” birthdays. I’ve now blasted my way through 9 of them.

The first came at 10. Finally, I made it to double digits. The next was 13. Finally, a teenager! Then came 16 and a driver’s license! And the freedom to leave the nest and go anywhere I wanted. As long as I was home by midnight. Then it was 21. It was a milestone in that I was officially an adult, and I could legally sit in a bar and drink a beer. With my wife! But I must admit it wasn’t a big deal, because I had been enjoying most of those granted privileges for a few years at that point. So nearly half of those milestone birthdays were done by the time I was 21.

In 1985 I had my 30th birthday. This was a big one, because even though I might have thought I was an adult at 21, now, I really am a grownup. Ten years later, I turn 40 and it was a tough one. I did a bunch of thinking. I realized that this was pretty much my life. I lived in a nice house in the suburbs with my wife and 2 girls. Just an average guy. I wasn’t going to be a millionaire. I wasn’t going to be that guy in the community that everyone knows and admires. They weren’t going to name a city park after me. Probably will never even get one of those little “Dedicated to” plaques with my name on it stuck to the back of one of the benches in that park. Just an average guy. I didn’t care for 40.

But it gets better! At 50, I did a bunch of thinking. I realized that this was pretty much my life. I lived in a nice house in the suburbs with my wife and 2 girls. Just an average guy. But an average guy with a wife and daughters that loved me and a bunch of friends that put up with me. I enjoyed my family, my friends and my job. That’s kind of hard to argue with! And 60 was more of the same! Same beautiful wife and daughters! I still have the old friends and a few new ones. The job is fun but I am starting to look to the future. There are things I would rather be doing with my time.

And here we are at 70. One more milestone birthday. Jane and I retired about 7 years ago. Our family has grown with the addition of 2 fantastic sons-in-law and 3 grandkids! We travel all over the world and seem busier than we ever have been. But it’s a fun busy. I just now have a small break in the action. Finally, a chance to write this little note! A bunch of my friends took the time to wish me a happy birthday back on the 13th. Friends from elementary school and even before. High school and college friends. Soccer friends and church friends and tennis friends and work friends. And family, from siblings to cousins and nieces and nephews, from Louisville to L.A., to Singapore and beyond. Actually, not beyond Singapore. Anyway, all of you friends helped make this a good milestone birthday. I thought about each and every one of you as I read the greetings. Thought about something fun we did together and how you were a part of my life sometime in the last 70 years. Thanks everyone. Let’s do it again next year.

Wayne