The Turning of a Decade

50 years ago...

• Dwight D. Eisenhower was President of the United States
• Fidel Castro comes into power in Cuba
• Nikita Krushchev is the leader of the Soviet Union and engages VP Richard Nixon in the 'Kitchen Debates'
• Harold Macmillan is the UK Prime Minister
• The Day the Music Died as a plane crashed in Iown killing Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens
• Alaska enters the Union as the 49th state; Hawaii enters as the 50th state
• The microchip and Etch-a-Sketch were invented
• Mattel's Barbie doll is launched
• The TV show 'Bonanza' premiers on the NBC network. It's the first regularly scheduled TV show presented in color.
• The US Grammy Awards are started
• Motown is formed
• Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500
• NASA announces the first American astronauts which the news media dubs 'The Mercury Seven'
• Average cost of a new home in the US is $12,400
• Average cost of a gallon of gas in the US is $0.25
• Average cost of a new car in the US is $2,200
• And, this Wednesday, 50 years ago that day, John and Elaine had their third child, their first and only son who was born in Germantown Hospital (PA) at 7:20am and weighing in at 8 pounds, 7 ounces.

Yes, another decade down. I have run my last race in the 40-49 age group.

Since the beginning of the new year, I have started to reflect on my life. I know I have been very lucky through the years. I have great parents and a good relationship with my sisters (even though they tortured me as the youngest :-) ) and their families. I have a wonderful wife who comes from a wonderful family.

There have been speed bumps along the way but nothing that wasn't overcome. My biggest scare? In the early '90's, I was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr disease aka chronic fatigue syndrome. It was a virus that had no cure and there was no certainty I was going to get rid of it. My fear was that this was going to be my life from now on. After a few months, I was able to resume my life the way I wanted to live it. And, I started to think about not taking life for granted anymore.

What have I learned in my life that I can impart words of wisdom to you from this old sage? I can be clicheish and say eat healthy, stay in school, obey the commandments, etc. Which are all important, don't get me wrong. But, there is one thing, as I look back, that I wish more people did. Communicate. Never think you know what the other person is thinking. I've learned this in my home, social and business lives. Talk to people. If you have a disagreement, try to understand it from their point of view. Why are they thinking this way? What information do they have that led them to this opinion? Talk it out. You may still disagree. But, you may be able to understand where they are coming from a lot better.

Also, in the lines of communication, don't let time slip away in reaching out to people you've known through the years but haven't been in contact with. One of the best lines I remember is, 'Days are long but years are short.' It goes by fast, believe me. Reach out to an old high school/college friend, a favorite aunt/uncle/cousin, etc. It's not always easy, I know that. There is too much to do in your work-a-day world. But.... I ran a half marathon in my father's hometown where my uncle lived. I stopped by my uncle's house to say hello and wound up watching a baseball game with him and talking. I had a good time just sitting there and talking with him. At his funeral, years later, my cousin told me it was something that he mentioned quite a bit and was thankful I remembered him. It breaks my heart that I didn't do it more often.

I won't bore you with the changes I have seen through the years. I won't even say that, 'in my day' things were better. They were. In some things. In others, I wish I was young and had a chance to start it all over again. In the beginning of this entry, I mention the microchip as being invented 50 years ago. Over the years, this, I believe, has had the most impact in our lives. From the microchip came the personal computer. From the personal computer came the internet. From the internet came different ways we listen to music, read our newspapers, watch our shows, get information, to reach out to old friends, to meet new ones that you never met face-to-face. Cars are different. Appliances are different. The newspaper industry, which has existed for hundreds of years, is radically changing. We go further and further into space. Because of this invention called the microchip.

Regrets? I have a few. (No, I won't break out in song and sing, 'My Way'). In reality, I don't have regrets. I may think about how life would have been for me if I made a different decision. But, I don't regret not taking that path. There are times when I regret not having children. But, it was a decision we made, along the way, that we wanted to focus on our careers. (And, no, thank you very much for your kind offer, but, I don't want to take your children.) I guess regret is the wrong word. But, I wondered if I would have been a good parent and what kind of children I would have raised?

I face the reality of, what someone at work described, 'having more past than a future.' I hope he's wrong but it's most likely true. A few years ago, I asked a college friend what he thought about as we were about to turn 45. His reply, 'In college, I didn't think we would have made it to 40. Everything after that is gravy.' Gravy indeed.

I'm not saddened by this landmark event in my life. Hey, it beats the alternative. I'm happy where I sit in life. I've learned a lot about myself through the years. Of my strengths and weaknesses. Of what I'm good at and not so good at. I try not to worry about the future. I know that the next decade will bring a lot of changes. And, as the years go by, I understand the saying of how youth is wasted on the young.

There are three thoughts I will leave with you in this entry. First, show patience in life. It's never easy but it will carry you a long way. Second, don't listen to advice. OK, that's not entirely correct. I guess best to say, carefully listen to advice. I've learned the best teacher in my life is me. I can be taught a million ways until Sunday of how to do something but, unless I experience it first hand, it will never sink in. So, let your own life be your best teacher.

Lastly, your body will age but your mind won't. I've had numerous conversations with people through my life that still think as if they are in their teens and twenties. That's not a bad thing. Don't get me wrong. They have matured. But, don't look in the mirror to see how old you are. Look in your heart. Live life to the fullest.

(Notes: Congratulations to the Broad Street and the Lehigh Valley Half marathon runners. Not the greatest conditions to run in so I have more respect for you to even towing the line out there. Congrats to Mom on the Run blogger Karen who set a PR in the Indy Mini-marathon on Saturday. Congrats to Mind That Bird for pulling off the second biggest upset in Kentucky Derby history. If I only played the Superfecta that day.)