Have you ever noticed that some birthdays hit you harder than others?
When I turned 20 I was a pledge in a fraternity. I remember being in my dorm room making out with someone I had picked up earlier that night at the house. When the clock hit midnight I tried to convince her to give me something “really nice” for my birthday. I was not successful. But it didn’t matter. I was in college, and in a fraternity, and all the world was a party.
Then when I was about to turn 30, I thought my world was coming to an end. It seemed so olde, 30. Remember there was that show on TV a few years earlier called Thirtysuffering? A lady I worked with at the time idolized that show. She thought they were all so mature, and she wanted to emulate the characters. I may have watched part of one episode. The point is, I thought 30 was going to be the end of it all, but it actually turned out to be the best decade of my life. So far.
Then I turned 40. I will confess, for reasons brought on myself I was in a bad place when I turned 40. A few months prior I had started the process of getting my act together, but the damage was already done. I spent my 40’s employed, but unable to afford a car, a phone, and internet. Yeah, I refer to this time as living in my 1800’s House in the heart of a major city. I buckled down, and resolved to dig myself out of the hole I had dug. My 40’s were tough, but I did the most growth during my 40’s than any decade prior. And by the end, I was able to finally travel overseas again – Though nothing too extravagant.
I don’t remember too much about my 50th aside from making a cake that fell to pieces – And I accepted that as a metaphor for life after 50.
But I turned 55 earlier this week, and dang it is a mix! On the one hand, I am neurotic as hell – I got my body fat percentage measured and now I’m going nuts with cardio trying to get it back down into the mid-teens. But I was also able to check, for the first time, the estimated benefits from my pension plan. (The system wont let you do that until you are within 5 years of being able to claim.) It feels good to know that I have reached this milestone. But it is also nerve racking to see what all still needs to be done to ensure I am not having to eat cat food during retirement.
Anyhoo, just some pontifications from an old man. I’m heading out for a short AT section hike today after work. I hope to have some nice pics for you once I get back. Oh, and strange side note – I got a youtube channel: Will’s GenX Adventure. I truly have no idea what I hope to post there, but I am going to take a few shots at it over the next couple days.
And on that note, thanks for checking it and I hope you all have a great weekend.
#GenX #GenerationX #Retirement #Adventure #AARP #Aging
Will's GenX Adventure 