25 Good Years

Twas the season for discounts when all through the house the sound of my yowling emerged from the couch ... okay, I’ll stop the cliche rhyme there.

It started innocuously enough. A simple online search for a gold photo frame also delivered a 10%-off discount from Michaels. Normally, that’s a win! Unfortunately, the source of that reduction caused a *small existential crisis.

You see, to receive the new price, I didn’t need a coupon. I didn’t need to search eight sites for a working code. I didn’t even need to sign up for a marketing text. I just happened to turn 55 on Christmas night, and that age apparently unlocks the magical ‘senior’ discount level.

Yes, you read that right: 55 = senior discount. I'm still trying to wrap my head around that. Wasn't I just DJing at nightclubs and playing in the mud at Woodstock?

Still numb from the shock of being labeled a “senior,” I dove down the Internet rabbit hole. Amidst the age-related chaos, I stumbled upon a TED Talk aimed at Millennials that shook me even more to the core.

With just a series of boxes, the presenter painted a vivid picture of the average remaining months in a Millennial's life, highlighting the time consumed by sleeping, eating, and screentime. By the end of the box filling, the upcoming generation seemed to have a mere seven days left to truly ‘live’.

That meant, as a GenX baby, I had a minute.

So, I made a conscious effort to not go gently. To fight time as best I can. To actively define how the last 25 ‘good’ years of my life play out.

As you can see from the grid, I decided to make my own ‘life’ chart. Instead of months (that would be super-depressing), I am looking at time in livable weeks. Those weeks I deem impactful and positive get color-coded in vibrant green. Average weeks get a mellow yellow, while bad weeks are unmistakably red. And the yellow weeks at the bottom? Well, they've been sacrificed to the altar of sleep, and I now view that time as both a blessing and a curse.

I'm on a mission to make every week count – to explore, help others, and enjoy at least 25 more good years.

Join me as I share ideas, videos, and thoughts on this blog as well as on Instagram and TikTok. Let's turn that senior discount saga into a vibrant tale of seizing life 🌟

#DefyingTime #longevity #getoffmylawn #tempusfugit

Woodstock 1994 - Mud People after the Green Day Mud Fight

25 Good Years in Weeks