YIKES! I’m going to be an Octogenerian

As my birthday approaches and I find myself entering into my 9th decade I thought it appropriate that I reflect back over the years and consider some of my accomplishments. But that just made me laugh. Other than raising 4 children into functioning adults, there really isn’t much to say.

But I know the reason why, and I’m ok with it. It is because I’ve never been a “serious” person. I’ve always just wanted to have fun. I never took school very seriously and my grades reflected it. I quit my dance lessons early on as it cut into my play time, unlike my sister who continued to study dance and became a professional dancer. I was in my late 40’s before I got enough sense into my head to go back to college to get a bit of an education. I had been doing a lot of volunteer work and I figured out that I did have some skills I might capitalize on. And with an education I might earn a salary instead of always volunteering.

In my volunteer days I spent a lot of time organizing and directing day camps for Cub Scouts and Campfire Girls. (Again fun) I also ran the camp’s archery ranges. I was very proud of the fact that no wiggly little energetic child ever left my archery range without successfully learning the proper way to let an arrow fly straight enough to at least hit the hay-bale. Making kids feel good about themselves, accomplishment!

Most of my working careers were about helping people during tough parts of their life and I think I was good at what I did, so I will rate that as an accomplishment.

I quit smoking 50 years ago, and anyone who was ever addicted to tobacco understands that is a major accomplishment.

I also went from being morbidly obese in my 30’s and 40’s to maintaining a reasonably healthy weight for the last 30 years originally using the tool of weight loss surgery. I feel this is a good accomplishment.

But my really fond memories are about the fun in life, the little adventures and challenges you do, simply because you are alive and wish to be a participant in life. Folks who spend most of their leisure time watching TV aren’t participating in life, they are the watchers. Watching others live lives. And most of those lives aren’t even real.

I think I’ve been a participant most of my life and I am going to continue to be a participant as long as I can. Every day is a bit of a new adventure, but some adventures are just more noteworthy than others.
My bucket list is growing quite short now and my list of past adventures and challenges gets longer by the day.

PAST FUN ADVENTURES ALL DONE AFTER AGE 50

*White water river rafting twice
*Flew in a Glider Plane
*Parasailed in Mexico and Honolulu
*Learned to row crew in an 8 man scull.
*Kayaked across Puget Sound more than once
*Climbed Diamond Head in Hawaii
*Climbed Steamboat Rock on Banks Lake Eastern WA
*Did a shark cage dive in Hawaii
*Did a deep sea dive in Mexico (not my sport)
*Joined a tap dancing group
*Swam 3 times in the open ocean water swim“Sharkfest” from Majahua to Troncones
*Traveled to Europe 3 times
*Did an African Safari
*Backpacked on a ferry to Alaska pitching my tent on the aft deck
*Learned to downhill ski (not my sport)
*Walked from Zihuatanejo to Ixtapa distance 6 miles
*Flew in a hot air balloon
*Ice skated on my small lake [Probably wasn’t smart or safe, but fun]
*Sold everything I owned and moved to Mexico (BEST IDEA EVER)

BUCKET LIST

*Cruise on a big cruise ship
*See the Northern Lights
*Ride on a dog sled
*See polar bears up close and personal
*See more of Mexico
*See the Duckmaster at the Peabody Hotel

Signing off KO