The 100 Years Club Installment #57: The 68th Truck Stop

Wow! Where did almost 7 decades go?

Why don’t I have  Waze for my life journey?

This year, I turned 68 (and my older granddaughter turned 8). I can’t help but think about how the world and my life have changed over the years and the vast differences (and similarities) between my 8-year-old self and the woman I am today.

I ruminate on the (often weird, wild, and pothole-filled) trip that brought me here.

What Hasn’t Changed

1. I have always been disruptive, creative, and visionary, and I find myself becoming more of those things as I’ve built the confidence to challenge and question — in work and in life.
2. Kindness and compassion rule. Although I continue to see assholes succeed at times, I believe in karma.
3. Relationships matter. Despite my 200+ good wishes on social media today, I know who my true friends are. I still believe in love and romance and am determined to find it before my 100th birthday. But, in the meantime, I truly value my girlfriends and guy friends and family. See #3, below.

What Has Changed

1. Technology has made connection easier (see #3) but it’s also distanced us. Don’t forget to be a human, assisted by automation.
2. Women today have more options professionally and personally, but we still have a long way to go. And gendered ageism has become a “thing” that we all need to look out for. This is the first time in history so many of us will live to be 100. Aging isn’t a curse…it’s an opportunity. Tune in to hear me talk more about that here.
3. I’ve built up the internal resources and confidence to deal with loneliness and rejection. When kids couldn’t show up to my birthday parties because of chicken pox and blizzards, I was devastated. This year, I’m spending my birthday alone, so I just booked a 90-minute massage. Having a stranger rub one’s back is a timeless treat. I had a video call with my 3-month-old granddaughter, filled with cooing and spit-up.

But the big takeaway from these six things is that a birthday is just a truck stop on the road of life. You get some snacks (and maybe a cake and some booze).

Rather than visiting the restroom to empty your bladder, you can relieve yourself of toxic thoughts and people and map out the rest of your journey.

Blizzards will still happen. You are likely to find yourself on a weird detour and pick up a strange hitchhiker or two.

Enjoy the ride and think about what might lie ahead. And don’t spend too much time at that truck stop. We have so much road left to cover!

For more inspo, you can gift me this year by listening (and subscribing to) my podcast and signing up for my column about dating >50.