My 65th trip around the sun! At 93 million miles a lap, I’ve covered some distance. And every trip I’m right back where I started, me again.
With the exception of Medicare kicking in, absolutely nothing magical happens at 65. Growing up, they said you “retired” at 65, but they also said “work” was 9 to 5, Monday through Friday, weekends and holidays off, and that turned out to be total bullshit. I promise you that the best part about turning 65 is recognizing that you’ve figured out what was real and what was b.s., and you’re still pretty happy. By 65, you understand that shit happens, and you deal with it, and then you move on. That’s really all there is to it.
Each trip around the sun you meet wonderful people, some of whom stay with you forever while others move in and out of your life but still become a part of who you are. I have friends I haven’t seen in decades who are still making me a better person. By good fortune I like a great many people, love some, and I don’t believe I have ever hated anyone although I can think of one guy I have strongly disliked.
I figured out as my own parents aged that job #1 is to stay positive. Getting old is hard and not for the weak-kneed, and it is easy to see only the downside. It is helpful to never regret the past, although it is hard to forgive yourself later if you have hurt someone, so try not to do that. I don’t think about “mistakes” I have made; I have made choices that got me to who I am right now, and as long as you are always trying to become a better version of yourself it will be ok. At 65, resist the urge to think “this is as good as I feel like getting.” Try to remember that you are part of others’ trip around the sun, and it’s better to be one of the people they have liked, or loved, and not one they list as a “strong dislike.” If you can accomplish one thing in your life, become that kind of traveling companion. It is never too late to start, or to try harder.
I have no wisdom to share at this milestone, other than don’t think of it as a milestone. You are still you, so there’s no major change. I’ve always made lists of things to do and have refined my ability to commit to random and unnecessary challenges, so I’ll keep doing that although I resist persistent suggestions that I should spend more time helping out around the yard instead. This time next year I will be able to perform a jump spinning reverse crescent kick, walk on my hands, and perform a cartwheel (I know, embarrassing, right?). I expect that I will have completed a very specific backpacking challenge that I will not reveal at this moment but it includes the word “grizzly.” The training involves running a lot faster and farther than I do currently, so I’m enjoying getting back into running.
You’d think that after 65 trips to the same destination, I’d want to try someplace different this time around. But it’s more fun to just keep trying to get this trip right.
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My Name is SCHOOLS 
This was great. And I do think you dispensed quite a bit of wisdom.
You had a John Holmes look about you at that camp site. Any other attributes from him? Anyway, very wise words and spot on although judging from this political climate half the 65 year olds in this country haven’t figured out what real BS is. I prefer to call 99% of my “mistakes” as “tactical errors”. The true 1% mistake was voting for Reagan twice. That’s the ignorance of youth.