The Three Quarter Century Mark

Yep, 75.

I have now reached the age that when I die, no one will say “He was so young!”

I’m in the third phase of life “Youth, Middle Age, and. . . ‘Good for You!’” or ‘God Bless You!’ or ‘You Look Great!’ What people really mean is “and you’re not dead yet? -freakin’ amazing!”

And it is amazing. I know too many peers who didn’t make it this far and I am grateful, truly fall down on my knees and say “Thank You!” grateful to be alive and still breathing. Well, except maybe the “fall down on my knees” bit might be an exaggeration ‘cause getting down is much faster than getting back up.

Still, I am grateful. I know that “getting old is a privilege denied to many.”

A lot has Changed in 75 years

When my parents were a little older than I am now I asked them what was the change that had the biggest impact on their life. Without missing a beat they said “Refrigeration!”

I was shocked. My dad and mom were born in 1904 and 1908 respectively – I thought cars, television, moving off the gold standard for our currency.

“Nope, refrigeration, absolutely!” My mom went on “Honey, we lived in central Florida. You bought your vegetables every day, and you bought your meat as late in the day as you could.”

“And if you forgot to put the 25¢ card in the window for the iceman, everything spoiled.”

“Refrigerators were freedom!” They said again in unison.

I’ve seen a lot of technological change in my time so far on this planet: portable music -Walkman-iPods-Spotify, ever-smaller computers from building sized that Mom programmed to my old iPhone SE 5 body/7 guts “Man that is so small; it’s a really old phone. Does it still work?”

I remember carrying change for toll booths and payphones. Now coins sit in a pile on my dresser. Using maps, I drove a cab pre-GPS. How’d I do that?

I remember knowing how a car worked, working on one even, not like my Dad shaping wooden spokes for his Model T’s wheel, but filing down points with an Emery board, gapping plugs with a feeler gauge, and unsticking the carburetor butterfly.

My first car was a ’53 Dodge, turquoise and cream with a small block 241 cubic inch Red Ram V8. It had a “gyromatic” transmission a combination of a “stick” and automatic. You shifted into reverse, 1^st and 3^rd with the clutch and between 1^st and 2^nd  and 3^rd and overdrive by letting up on the gas pedal. I stood outside that car in the crowded high school parking lot in the late morning on November 22, 1963 listening to the radio news of Kennedy’s assignation with a bunch other students too stunned to drive home.

My second car a ’57 Dodge red and white with big fins and a back seat you could “lie down in,” had a pushbutton automatic tied to the same engine, the year before the Hemi. I wasn’t really a Mopar guy. All my friends drove Chevys either the 265 or 287 engines, but in those days I bought what came available at a price I could afford. I really lusted after 1950s British sports cars, Austin-Healeys, MGs, Jags and Morgans -oh yeah – Morgan. It is a craving that has never gone away. Well, maybe in my last twenty-five years, I’ll rent one.

My dad almost made it to 96 and my mom was made 93 so I have good genes, but you can’t plan. My sister wanted 100 and got 78. I could get run over by the proverbial beer truck tomorrow. I’ll take what I get and be grateful for it. Thank you very much.

The 75^th Party

So I celebrated 75 this weekend. On Friday, the actual day, I started the day with a video of Arlo Guthrie singing me Happy Birthday! This was arranged by my daughter Caitlin through an app called Cameo. Arlo is a long-time favorite and there he was with birthday wishes – how freakin’ awesome is that!

Then I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane. I always wanted to skydive and so despite not being particularly not fond of heights and getting motion sick easily, I took the plunge (literally) from 14, 500 feet in a tandem jump with Skydive Sussex. Shout out to Greg my instructor who got me down safely and to Inty who jumped with us and videoed the whole thing.

The jump was great. Beautiful fall day. The scariest things was sitting on the edge of the plane door seconds before launch.          Great free fall. Then floating down beneath a red and orange canopy looking at red and orange trees of north central New Jersey getting bigger as we descended.

Exhilarating!

On the ground adrenaline had my hands shaking. I was sweating like crazy. Family tradition of motion sickness overcame me. I threw up In the parking lot. It was a kinda tough ride home, but I have recovered now. Video shot by parachuting videographer does not include me throwing up though.🤪 Billie could have videoed that but she is nicer than that. ❤️

I now have something to answer when people ask “What’s new?” A neighbor, after I described my birthday, said,

“Most people turn 75 and when people ask, say ‘Well, I had some cake and went out to bed around 9:00.’ You jumped out of a plane. That’s crazy!”

Now for the next 25 (?) years.

I would like to make 100. I suppose I’d like to make 100 and be ambulatory and know I was celebrating my 100^th birthday, but I will take what comes.  I am hopeful that the world will still be here for my 100^th birthday. I am a hopeful guy.

Here are some things I hope for my last 25 years. I hope:

• The United States and the rest of the world can prioritize and take committed action on the problems here on this planet.
  • Innovating new technologies of carbon capture, power generation and energy use,
  • Remediating climate change with such actions as improved emissions and energy use, stopping methane leakage from natural gas wellheads, seeding clouds, planting trees, slowing sea level rise by pumping water out from under glaciers to slow the slide,
  • And whatever innovations and waste reduction measures I haven’t heard about.
• People in the United States and the rest of the world work together in an inclusive and yes fair (democratic) way to address our problems –you know, climate, change, war economic living standards – not equity exactly, but maybe not such a range of inequity. Everybody doesn’t need to be rich, but let’s see if we can get everyone fed and housed for starters.

So progress on climate change, world peace, hunger and homelessness, and economic insecurity. As I said I am hopeful. “You might say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.”

And I hope you folks have some fun on this wet pebble doin’ donuts around a smallish star.

Keep your blood pumpin’ and your brain churnin’ figurin’ stuff out. Enjoy life!

I plan to and I’m off to a good start.

What do you plan to do over the next 25 years?

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