Reflections on Turning 75

I wish to preface this blog entry by expressing my sincere appreciation for all the birthday wishes I received from friends, family, fans and other well-wishers.  I was truly touched.  I reached my 75th birthday on May 27th.  In our society, birthdays that fall on certain numbers are seen as significant. Seventy-five is easily divided by five and is three-quarters of the way to 100.  For those reasons, among others, we treat it as a significant occasion.  But it is also a number, just like a 30th or 13th or 43rd birthday are numbers.  Far beyond the significance of any number is being in the present moment, no matter the day, the week, the season or the year.

Philosophers, religious leaders and other well-known wise people throughout history have espoused the importance of being in the moment.  In its truest sense, it is impossible to not be in the moment.  You cannot live in the past.  You cannot dwell in the future.  What is here and now is all there is.  Yes, you can live in the past and dwell upon events in your mind.  You can project into the future and predict events you think might come to pass.  However, in both cases, the mind is reliving the past or projecting into the future.  Our true selves are always here in the moment.  It is our minds that take us away.

As I mentioned in the last blog entry, time is a concept we as human beings invented in order to organize our lives.  It served us well.  We marked the passing of the seasons to know when to plant, when to harvest, and when to store up food for the winter.  The concept of time continues to serve us in our society today.  Without it, we would not know what time to show up at the doctor’s office, what time the workday ends and what time a movie begins at the theater.  It can serve us well, if we allow it.  But, we must be careful not to allow it to govern us too strictly.

When we value things for how little time they take, when we try to get as much completed in the least amount of time, we are allowing time to rule us, not serve us.  I have heard many times throughout my 75 years that the journey is more important than the destination.  It took me almost that long to really understand the meaning of that statement.  Once we focus too much on completing a task in order to start another, we are projecting into the future and missing the richness of being in the moment.

The same applies to living in the past.  We are shaped and informed by our memories of events and interactions.  These too can serve us.  We learn and grow from them.  Still, we must not allow our past experiences to govern our experience of the moment.  Memories, painful or joyous, can dictate how we react in the moment.  While our past experiences can inform us, what we are dealing with in the moment is never the same situation as a past experience.  Have you ever felt yourself react quickly to a situation and realize that you were terribly off base?  Why does this happen?  It happens when we allow the past to rule the present.  Pause, breathe, get back in the moment.  It is not always easy, especially when we are caught up in emotions.  More often than not, allowing just a few seconds to return to the present moment makes all the difference.

You may be wondering how this relates to my 75th birthday.  As I mentioned, living in the past or the future causes us to miss the richness and beauty of the moment.  A landmark birthday is a wonderful thing.  It allows friends, family and other loved ones to express their appreciation.  For this, I am grateful.  But for me, 75 years is no greater an achievement than waking up every morning and savoring every moment as I go through my day.  I may reach 80, 85, 90 and beyond, if I am lucky.  And, if I am lucky, I may receive another batch of wonderful greetings and expressions of appreciation as I reach those landmarks.  As I reach them, I may take a moment to look back.  I will feel satisfied knowing I have lived a life full of opportunities to be in the present moment, and I have taken advantage of that amazing gift, which presents itself always, everywhere, at any time.  But if I do take a moment to look back, I will be sure to keep it brief.  Otherwise I will miss being in the present moment, which is a much greater reason to be joyful than any number.