Turning 60….

So this will just be a quick check in as I have not posted for more than a couple of weeks. As many of you already know, last week I turned 60. I have never had the feeling that turning a certain age was a traumatic event; 40 came and went, admittedly in a foggy haze; when 50 came I was much healthier and happier than at any time previously in my life and I remember feeling as though I was on the right track and in most regards I believe I was right. So when 60 came along much of the hard work and planning we had done was already coming to fruition as regular readers of this blog already know. So when “Keith’s 60th Birthday” popped up on the calendar in our small office, it was no big deal. I had earlier mentioned to Diane that I would love to have the kids all come up to “surprise” me so I knew that she would be working on something. Since she knows that deep down I don’t particularly like surprises, she worked diligently at not overtly giving anything away, but also knew that I was suspicious of some of the things she was doing and saying. And of course it’s ultimately quite difficult to have the family show up unannounced when we both have to be involved in picking up at different airports at different times. Anyway, she did an excellent job of keeping me in the dark until the last minute and then still managed some surprises when a dear Aunt and Uncle and some close friends came to a small party to celebrate with me on the weekend.

So, for three or four days all the children and grandchildren were at the house. Unfortunately the weather was not as cooperative as it could have been and it pretty much rained all the time they were here. For some families this might have been a recipe for disaster, husbands and wives, small children, teenagers, Mom and Dad all in close proximity cooped up in the house for four days. In fact, there was a time in my life when I’m pretty certain this would have been the case for us and provided not a few moments of angst and probably a few tears – but not now! I have told you previously how fortunate Diane and I are with our girls and our grandchildren and this weekend was proof again that when it comes to our immediate family, we are both extremely wealthy people. We were surrounded by laughter as everyone took part in games like charades and celebrity name game and other games which very few of us were particularly good at. We watched movies, played pool, spent time in the hot tub, (in the rain – awesome), and of course ate more than we should have. And as is always the case the weekend ended all to soon and everyone had to leave and go their separate ways to get back to work and school.

As I look back on that weekend I am becoming aware of the fact that the drama that used to be so prevalent in our lives has subsided considerably. That we have all become able to some degree to look past the bad habits and traits we all have and focus on the good in all of us. That we have become much more comfortable laughing at ourselves and with each other, and that there are not many of us who don’t enjoy being around people who are happy. I am aware that some credit can go to the fact that I am no longer totally absorbed with controlling the environment and the people around me to conform to my view of how everyone should behave and how things should go. There’s also a tremendous amount of love and respect for how Diane coordinated our time together – she continues to demonstrate an amazing talent for organizing celebratory events – maybe something for her to consider if she ever gets bored with retired life. The biggest credit though goes to the entire family, our girls and their amazing husbands, our grandchildren who make us proud every moment of every day, whether we are together or not. I know that I am a very lucky, a very blessed man to have a loving, caring family who can have fun together and who simply appreciate time well spent creating family memories. Not everyone has that!

Until the next one, Namaste.