The Great Adventure

Yup. Birthday boy here. Don’t know whether to celebrate or commiserate. But as they say, getting older sure beats the alternative.

The bright side of being 61 (yes, really! 61!) is that I am one year closer to retirement, which for me means switching hats and writing full time. I am doing pretty good now, averaging about two titles per year. But I hope that the quality and quantity will improve when I can do it full time. I don’t play golf or tennis, so it’s just me and my keyboard. And the 23,000 friends I have on Twitter.

And the other bright side is having someone to live with that is the same age as you. My wife and I have been married 39 years, and in addition to loving each other very much, we just plain enjoy each other’s company. So that’s a plus, because in a few years she will have me around all the time.

The bad side of 61 is just getting used to a body that is wearing out, which is hard for me. We have two acres, and I still want to get out there with the chainsaw, or fixing the fence or repairing the deck. And each year it becomes more of a challenge that ever before. So I think it’s a tradeoff. Getting older gives you wisdom, or smarts or whatever you want to call it. You recognize you’re not invulnerable anymore like you thought when you were 18, but the tradeoff is you can’t do the stuff you did before.

I am reading a great book right now by John Scalzi called “Old Man’s War.” It’s about a military organization in space who recruits 75 year olds, gives them new bodies and sends them off to war. Funny. I will be writing a review soon.

Well, have a happy Veteran’s Day. I know some schools have the day off, but not here. I have a full day, so see you on the flip-flop.