The longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes.
Frank Lloyd Wright
Tomorrow, sometime after 6 am, I will turn fifty. I was born on September 10th, 1971, around 9 am Eastern time. I remember this because when my Mom told me what time I was born in Bristol, Connecticut, I thought, “Oh, just after Captain Kangaroo started on TV,” because it came on at 9 o’clock EST when I was a kid. That was one of my favorite shows growing up.
This birthday is a milestone, like many others in my life. At 18, I could vote. When I turned 21, I could drink. I can remember my wife Karen and a friend of ours going with me to Famous Sam’s in Tucson to drink shots on my birthday. Then I turned 30. Not too long after that, I turned 40 and stopped caring about what people thought about me. Up to that point, I was so concerned with being accepted and doing the right thing. But at 40, it seemed like that didn’t matter anymore. You either liked me, or you didn’t. And if you didn’t, that was your problem and not mine.
But now, just hours away from turning 50, I find myself not dreading getting older, instead, being thankful for all of the things that have brought me to where I am now. Aging is a gift and not a curse. I have had 50 years on this earth to experience all of the beautiful things it has to offer.
When I first met my wife, Karen, back in the summer of 1991, I was madly in love with her. I can remember us watching “Twin Peaks” on VHS with a bunch of our friends that summer. I remember falling asleep on the couch and then waking up in the early morning hours with her next to me. Us deciding to drive up to Mount Lemon in Tucson to watch the sunrise. The magic of that first day that I knew I would spend the rest of my life with her. To this day, I am still madly in love with her.
But our path wasn’t always easy. We had twins while I was working for the Division of Developmental Disabilities and not making that much money. I had my degree from the University of Arizona in Psychology and wanted to change the world and make it a better place. Once the twins were born, I knew that I had to support my family and find some other career to support all of us. So I moved on.
And now I find myself on the eve of my half-century birthday and see how far we’ve come. This December, we will have been married for 29 years, more than half of my life. Thinking about that astounds and amazes me. I’ve spent more of my life with this person than without her. How crazy is that?
And so, as I reflect on the last forty-nine years and three hundred and sixty-four days of my life, I find myself not sad for getting older, yet thankful for all that I have at this point in my life. I have a wife who loves me and supports me. I have four children that we have raised and are finding their way in the world. I have a granddaughter that is the love of my life. I have financial stability, something that I never thought that I would have, especially when I was working for the state of Arizona for just a few dollars above minimum wage. I have a fantastic job that provides for my family. In this job, I have meaningful connections with my peers and an incredible team of IT professionals and project management experts that are the best that I have had the opportunity to work with throughout my career.
So, when I wake up tomorrow and realize that I have reached this milestone in my life, I will not be sad. Instead, I will celebrate that I have come this far. I will be thankful for all that I have and all that lies ahead. Life is a gift, and I relish this gift for my 50th birthday. The gift of family, friends, and a career that matters. What more could I ask for?
