Ticket 2 Ride

This is a new series. Commentary from the comfort of the shady patio. From here I can sip a cold one, hear the birds sing and watch our dog admire his kingdom. There are no bombs falling on our house, no masked ICE agents at the door, and a great WiFi connection. Life is good!

Feeling reflective on this balmy, July Sunday. Earlier this month my high school colleagues gathered to celebrate 50 years of life after walking across the stage in cap and gown. I was in Alaska and missed the reunion. Fifty years. A lifetime. Certainly a lifetime for those who passed along the way.

I fondly remember that summer after graduation. I had a variety of temporary summer jobs as I awaited freshman classes at college. It was one of the best summers of my life. I was full of optimism, dreams and anticipation – it was the overwhelming scent of the future.

Try as we might, we’re really only young once. Youth is a valuable commodity and later on we’ll spend a shitload of money to bring it back, yet as a teen we’re in a hurry to grow out of it. The adult world offers such intoxicating fragrances. Like a bee to a flower, I experienced it.

Fifty years ago, many freshmen had a plan or an idea for their future path as they declared their majors. Today, kids are programmed and fast-tracked toward their futures. Lucky them.

I graduated with only a vague notion of my direction; although I knew where, just not sure how. Every decision in our lives leads somewhere. Every door is a question mark. Some doors, like on Let’s Make a Deal!, are mistakes or do not work out. It’s not always evident; wouldn’t it be great to know for certain!

The path I took was luck to some degree. Not guesswork, but opportunities I could not foresee until they were at hand. At times the bumps in the road were mountains and the potholes deep as canyons, but I always had family support, a place to live and food. And time, all those grains of sand.

As the years ticked by, suddenly my eye was on retirement. The question everyone ponders – would I prepare enough to at meet my needs? The closer to retirement, the more cloudy the future looked. The recession of 2008 brought layoffs, wage freezes and investment losses. Those were scary times, but the storm passed without major impact. After a period of rebound – the global pandemic and life suddenly changed on a dime. Finally, the end of a marriage and financial uncertainty. The trail of life is like following the stock market, ups and downs, dips and rebounds, growth and declines.

Despite this quirky trail, I was fortunate to retire in a very good situation and I’m forever thankful for that. Ask me 50 years ago and I wouldn’t be so sure. Good planning? Good enough. Learning from mistakes and setbacks? Lots of opportunity there! Luck? Yes, sir!