And The Times, They Are A’Changin’

After weeks of trying to get a handle on reaching the senior level, not without many hours of soul searching, I have concluded that I feel no older than forty.  In many ways, I feel even younger.

On my fortieth birthday, I was in Seoul, Korea on a buying trip for Lambda Crystal.  Molly had organized the staff to sign a birthday greeting piece of paper and faxed it to me.

That night, the owner of a gold chain manufacturing company insisted on taking me out to dinner for my birthday.  It went something like this.

Mr. Park would like to buy you a drink for your birthday.  Because he does not speak English very well, I will be his interpreter.

As we arrived at the picturesque Korean restaurant with private, floor-seated, dining rooms, I was more than a little surprised when the waiter placed a 40-ounce bottle of Chivas Regal 18-year-old scotch on the table with one glass.  Now the tradition is that the host pours the guest a drink, and then the guest pours the host a drink.  As Mr. Park was enjoying his custom, I was chagrined by the lack of a shot glass for him.  As I picked up the bottle, the interpreter, shook his head and said, oh no, Mr. Frank, his drink is being delivered, that bottle is for you alone!

Well, needless to say, the night became much more animated as both of us attempted each other’s language, which kept the interpreter in hysterics, and my host and I were having the best time of our lives.

The point is that a large part of me is still wanting those adventures, not knowing how it will turn out, but just loving the journey.  I add this video as a reminder of the everyday stuff that we let harm our being.

It is always now!

Boomer to Zoomer

Reaching 65

In less than three weeks I will reach the retirement age of 65.  Lately, I have been nearly obsessed with that fact.  What does it mean?  I never wanted to be here.  Sixty-five was for much older Jimmy to have to deal with.  I was supposed to remain the “Excess” nick-named character from high school, who completed the military, graduated from university and was supposed to never change.

I fully expected, AND, I thought I had a plan to retire; meaning that I had more money coming in than going out, and I no longer had to exert myself to keep it going.  That was my goal.  Life is what happens to you, while making other plans, pertains to my life, thus far.  One conclusion that I have come to, over the last myriad, nightmarish, doldrum of melancholy thoughts, is that I must change my thinking.

I am happy to state that, as has always been, my glass is more than half full.  Not that I am a naturally optimistic person.  I have coddled melancholy to the point of depression on many an occasion.  It is just that I now seem to feel like I no longer have the luxury of sitting on the fence when it comes to planning the rest of my life, starting from here.

What are the questions that people ask as they are getting closer to retirement age?

    • Are my affairs in order, have I sufficiently protected my assets for the maximum benefit of those close to me?
    • How healthy am I and how long do I expect to be mobile to enjoy other than a sedentary life?
    • What are some of the regrets thus far, and what can I do over the next 30+ years to make amends, correct, lay-to-rest, replace with joyous events?
    • Is there some blueprint for what’s left of my life.
    • Have I started, or finished my “bucket list”?
    • Have I answered, lately, what’s really the most important thing in my life?
    • What can I do to avoid being some cranky, solitary, old man that people feel sorry for and don’t want to be around?
    • What can I do to pass on what I have learned to family and the world?

The Beauty After A Storm

HurricancloudsAs I was growing up in semi-rural Ohio, I was often drawn to older folk, mainly due to their stories.  I was memorized by tales of their youth, many in far off places, like Chicago,or New York.

As I grew older I looked to older wiser parents and grandparent-types to learn how to deal with middle life. Suddenly, I am supposed to be one of those older wiser elders!  Well, what if I don’t want to take on that responsibility of having the right answers?  It’s just a lot of added stress that I did not even want as a parent.  There are no rule books on life, and frankly (I am allowed to say Frankly all I want), I have tried many times to ask for forgiveness over permission anyway.

So many times in my life, I thought things looked really bleak and melancholy, then only to discover that things were not even remotely as bad as I thought.  That’s what I have come to call the Beauty After A Storm.  You know, when the air feels so clean and charged with positive energy.  There is just such a rejuvenating feeling, like walking through a wheat field, in the full moonlight, with just the right amount of dew on the wheat to make you laugh as you walk because it is just too silly to be doing that.

Life needs to be a song in every moment.