I rued the coming of that day but there was no stopping it. It came anyway. My wife woke me early and wished me a happy 60th, but I told her, "Not yet. I still have a few hours left of being 59."
I wasn't going to turn 60 any sooner than necessary. But the day came and went and, like it or not, I'm now 60 and have almost a week's start into my 61st year of life.
Turning 60 probably doesn't sound like much to a lot of you. It's a birthday which came and went years ago for many. For others, it may seem so far off that there's little thought of it. After all, there's turning 40 or 50 to come first.
The thought of turning 60 was kind of a shock precisely because I always viewed it as something far off in the future. And, of course, with turning 60 comes thoughts, more than ever before, of the end of life. Editing obituaries for the newspaper each week makes a fellow think, especially when a good number of those listed there are younger than me. And when I think of the average age for death, that 70-something doesn't seem near as far off.
Then there are those thoughts of maybe not being able to work and retirement. To be honest with you, I don't think I could handle not working, though it would be nice to choose which job I work at and what I do with my time.
Sixty has come, but I think I've gotten over it. It isn't so bad. Besides, I can't undo it and turning 60 is better than not turning 60, if you know what I mean. It's actually a blessing from above.
And, really, when the day came, I didn't feel any different than I did on the day before when I was still in my 50s, I was able to get up and work like any other day. In fact, I may have worked harder since I had to conduct church services in the evening after a full day of work for the newspaper.
Mrs. Griz still loves me even though I now am 60 and she's only a young 59 for a couple more months. My dogs still like me if I bribe them with treats, and most of my kids called or sent a text to wish me well on my big day.
Being 60 does have some advantages. I could join the senior center if I like and I might qualify for a senior-citizen discount on meals at restaurants and at other places of business. I might even be able to get a discount while Mrs. Griz has to pay full price. I know, it really makes no difference since I pay the bill, but it might be fun to tease her about being so expensive.
My father-in-law, who is now 90, says he can now be blunt and say what he thinks about the actions, lifestyles and style of dress of young people and not get hit or slapped. That sounds like fun but I may have to wait a couple of decades for that. He said he really started having fun saying what he pleased when he turned 80.
My father-in-law is still building and repairing houses and barns at 90. My father, now 83, though he retired once and wouldn't have to work, is still working. That's good news for me if I can keep going like they have since I couldn't afford to retire and may have to work until 80 or 90 just to build up enough in my retirement fund to last more than a week unless, of course, I am transferred to a better job in my eternal home before that.
And when that day does come to leave this world, whether that be at 60 or 70 or even 90-something, I have the certainty of being raised up from the grave to a far better life because, as we heard on Sunday, Jesus Christ, who died to pay for my sins and those of the whole world, rose from the dead and lives forever!
With Job of old, I can say, "I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another" (Job 19:25-27).
Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He can be contacted by email at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 04/08/2015