Turning 50 really wasn’t that big of a deal…
Oh for sure, we did the big 5-0 birthday bash, complete with me singing my signature karaoke bit, El Rey, fronting a band of Colombian mariachis. And the hangover the next morning had me feeling the pain of every inch of five decades of struggle against gravity.
However, this time we’re talking a number of more significance. Many would say one that marks the beginning of “old age.”
There won’t be any wild birthday bashes this time around. As Hank Williams, Jr. sang, the hangovers definitely hurt more than they used to!
While I do respect the number 60, as it signifies a stage of life that can mark the beginning of a downhill slide to, well, you know (a metaphor having both positive and negative connotations)…
I’m not afraid of it. At least not deathly so…
After all, I’m arriving at the number with a life blessed in so many ways.
And I refuse to embrace the pessimistic idea that its year of arrival, 2020, is a bad omen…
I don’t even believe in omens, good or bad.
I have a pretty good life. I’m married to a beautiful lady of about 5 years my younger. We are both in good health. I’m nowhere near “financially free”, so I’ll probably spend the next decade selling real estate here in Costa Rica. And that’s okay! I really enjoy doing it and I’m finally starting to see some success with it. We do plan on doing a bit of traveling, especially to her home country of Colombia.
I have four great kids, two married, all healthy and successful in their own right. And I’m sure some grandkids on the way in the not too distant future. Oh, and my wife has three herself and one granddaughter already on the scene in Colombia. We’re a multinational “Brady Bunch.” And that’s really kind of cool!
Other than my car, a meager wardrobe and a few sticks of furniture, I own nothing. Many would be frightened by that at my age, but, honestly, I like the fact that I’m not locationally tied down via “asset ownership.”
And I gave up the idea of being rich and famous long ago!
As I sit here, reflecting on the Big 60, I see my life in thirds…
The first third was one marked in many ways by self-destruction. The second third by trying to reconstruct that damage done. And this last last third, the Costa Rica third, as one of self-discovery.
Sometimes I wonder where I’d be if I’d never taken on that fateful “Universidad Interamericana” deal back in 2001 that brought me here and forever changed my life…
I guess I’d be working in an office, maybe as an attorney, or financial advisor type. I’d probably have “money”, as they say. I’d probably have a nice home and retirement account. In short, I’d probably have a lot of those trappings of success that mark the American dream…
I’d certainly be a more respected human in the eyes of many back “home.”
But, then again, maybe not. Who knows?
Nevertheless, here I am. A Costa Rican citizen, no less!
A Costan Rica realtor.
And as of the end of this week, an “old” one.
They say wisdom comes with age. After witnessing the way many in my new age group embrace the alternative fact universe of Donald J. Trump, I kind of question that…
However, I do think wisdom has come to me via the life experiences I have had, especially that of being a dual citizen, or as I prefer to think of myself, a world citizen.
It has softened me, humbled me, and it has gifted me with a more open mind.
Of course, being married for the last 12 years to my Colombian borne wife, who doesn’t even speak English, has greatly contributed to that open-mindedness!
For me that filter has been, in many ways, this platform that has allowed me to get thoughts out of my head and to share them with you. That process helped me develop this worldview that I hold dearly to, the one I call impact mindfulness.
The one that keeps at the forefront of my consciousness the principled triad of altruistic service to others (impact over interest), inclusivity (the Big US), and open-mindedness (removing impact blinders).
This week I plan to make some decisions about the direction I want the next 10 years to take, especially concerning two things: my health and my impact.
I want the next ten years to be marked by both…a renewed commitment to health (physical and mental) and to making an impact, creatively.
I have struggled the last half of my 5th decade to get my financial legs back under me. I believe I’ve largely succeeded in that effort. However, the struggle has taken a toll on my health and my impact. Not that I find myself in seriously bad health, but it definitely could be better.
And focusing so intently for the last five years on fixing the self-inflicted financial mess that came to a head back around 2015 has taken my focus off of things that I know are more important.
In Costa Rica we like to say, “hay mas tiempo que vida” (that there’s more time than life). In other words, we don’t get too stressed down here over the idea that time is fleeting…pura vida…
But, in reality, it is.
I guess the most significant thing about turning 60 is coming to that realization.
So, I believe it’s time to renew my focus on those most important things.
And of course to have some fun in the process!
Oh, and that might mean that you’ll be hearing a lot more from me here…
Humor this newly minted old-timer with your patience, and perhaps a bit of your attention, as I try to get back to what I believe my life really should be all about.
