When I'm 84

This old soul is 3x older than us

The song, ”When I’m 64,” has been playing over and over in my mind today, my 64^th birthday.  Paul McCartney wrote it for his father’s 64th birthday at age 15 when the Beatles were preforming in nightclubs as the Quarrymen.  Little did he know what it was like to be 64, and I doubt the Beatles did later when the song was released in 1967 on the iconic “Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album.  Back then, as a 16-year old, I had no clue about what it would be like, either.  Fortunately my reality,and that of Sir Paul and many baby boomers, doesn't match that of the song’s lyrics.   Perhaps it would seem more relevant if the title were “When I’m 84” or even “When I’m 94.”  But it’s still a cute song.

Duplicate birthday cards from Kathy & Mark

1 day shy of 64

Kathy and I are returning from a short trip to Arizona to visit my brother Mark and his wife Charlene.  So nice to see them and their dogs, soak up sun, and hike in the desert. 

We climbed Mt. Picacho!

To of Picacho Peak

View from near the top of Picacho Peak

Saguaro National Park--Amazing!

A Saguaro skeleton

We really needed a break since our return from Bali.  I’ve been unusually busy with several projects and work commitments and had a short speaking gig to former colleagues in LA about my book.  Kathy has been consumed with her duties on the national board of the Assistance League.  She returned from a January board meeting as sick as a dog—so bad that I took the rare step to self-deport to the guest bedroom.

Among all of this—and sort of the inspiration for the opening paragraph of this post—Kathy’s mom celebrated her 90^th birthday.  It’s hard to believe that she was hospitalized for pneumonia and then had a stroke just about a year ago.

Doris J. Ellis, Age 90

She’s doing well physically, but it gets us wondering what will be going on in our heads and bodies when we’re that age.  We have absolutely now idea of what is like to be 90, just as  Sir Paul
McCartney couldn't accurately imagine age 64.  Hopefully, we’ll be as alert, engaged, healthy, active, and in love as we are now.

2004 Klein Aura road bike

For some of my Facebook friends, this may be old news, but I just lost two very dear friends.  Sometime since our return from Bali, two of my bikes were stolen from our locked bike locker within our condo’s locked bicycle storage area.  This was the second time I’ve experienced bike thefts at the condo, with Kathy’s parked right next door untouched.  The thieves must like my taste in bikes more than hers.  Perhaps it was the universe telling me that I personally couldn’t ride four bikes at once, but with the loss of those two physical objects, I feel like I have lost a tangible connection to so many good—and not always good—memories of rides with friends and by myself.

2013 Specialized Cross Trail

We’re busy planning our trips for the year and looking forward to a number of fun concerts and fundraisers in Salem in the next few months.  One of them is my Rotary club’s A Night to Pay it Forward to benefit homeless teens in Salem.  If you can’t attend, I hope you can use the link to make a donation.

Getting back to my birthday--even if I was blind and  never saw a calendar again, I would know it by the sweet smell of Daphne blossoming.   Spring is around the corner—enjoy what remains of our winter.