3/4 of a Century

~ It sounds much more respectable than 75 years, doesn't it? That is how old I turned this past Wednesday. There are days I feel and act every day of that and there are other days I'm still 25 in my mind. (Depends on what music I'm listening to or how much news I've consumed.) No great wisdom to impart at this milestone but here are some observations: 1) I'm happy I was born when I was - I got to experience the hopefulness of having several exceptional men elected as our president. Their leadership was transformational in a most positive way. I also got to experience the low of having one of them taken away far too soon. I still remember that afternoon in junior high, hearing the announcement that the President had been shot, only to learn later that he was gone. In the days following - days off from school - the chaos of having his assassin shot, the transfer of power to a man who would not run when the term he finished was up, the solemnity of the funeral. Aside from the political, I am so blessed to have experienced the music I did - the 60s, 70s and 80s - the folk music, rock and roll, protest music. All hopeful and positive, unlike the grunge, rap, and heavy metal that followed in the 90s and beyond. Some serious songwriting chops back then! And the singers! Ah, Dan Fogelberg, Steve Perry, and more. 2) In some ways I've become more conservative as I have matured and in other ways more radical. The chaos and grift and downright incompetence of the Trump eras have sent me out to the streets to protest, more than once. But I still cling to many of the values instilled in me by my parents - I'd never get a tattoo, likely will never dye my hair a color not found in nature and I don't see any need for recreational drugs. And I have pretty much given up alcohol on a regular basis. I don't see any need to waste my time on what passes for television entertainment these days. It's all low class humor or staged reality tv, designed to appeal to people who are so unhappy with their lives that they thrive on someone else's misfortune. 3) I'm more tolerant of some ideas and less of others. If you do not believe that all people are created equal and have the same rights and that no one is above the law, you are not my kind of person. If you think you are entitled to some special treatment because of who you are, what your name is, where you are from or how much money you have, you are also not my kind of person. If you bully and talk down to children, women, people who are "different" from you, you are not my kind of person. If you mistreat animals, you are not my kind of person. I will do my best to call you out on those behaviors because someone needs to do so. 4) I'm happy I was fortunate enough to finally find a career instead of a job. It was something it turned out I was good at and enjoyed (until the business mindset took hold of higher education!) And I was happy to have discovered what I wanted to do in my retirement. I feel as if I've been moderately successful in my little business. And I'm happy to have realized it is time to leave it behind.