August 12, 2022 – The Seventy-Eighth Official Friday Night BeerBlog

One of my good friends turns 60 in a few weeks. Two friends that I’ve been riding with for years and years are both 61 this year. My sister-in-law entered the last year of her 50s this week. And Mike, the 25 year old hunk I chased back in the day and finally nailed down in marriage, aged up to a hardy 57 on Tuesday. On the other end, my youngest, my perpetual baby, will be 23 on the 17th.

How Did This Happen?

I mean what the actual hell? I swear it feels just like the other day when Mike, my small children, and I all went to Frankfort to celebrate my mother’s sixtieth birthday. And no offense to her, not being in the fifties anymore put her in another realm in my mind. Let’s face it, she was old. Nothing really had changed from one day to the next, from 59 to 60, and she still did “young people” things, but in my mind, surely, I would never be as old as her. There were still years and years and years to live before that would happen to me, or Mike, or my friends.

Time marched on. I remember at one blowout Halloween costume party along the way when one of the aforementioned 61 year olds talked about how sad he felt about turning forty-five. We talked about how we couldn’t believe that he was FORTY-FIVE. He was dressed as a clown and gave his best sad clown face at the number – 45. Wasn’t time supposed to freeze in that moment? Well it didn’t because just eight short years later I was that sad clown turning 45 and that friend was sure to remind me about it.

What Did We Expect?

I guess I should be relieved that time has been so healthy, fluid, and full of such an amazing assortment of people to make the years pass so happily. One of the blessings in life is the ability to surround yourself with connections that feel like family. You know, people that you love most of the time, but are allowed to dislike sometimes because you know they aren’t going anywhere. Not now. Not yet.

But the years are moving so quickly. When our kids were all young and giant pains in the ass sometimes, time felt like quicksand. But it began moving faster and faster as the years ticked. Our kids have grown up. Some have married. Others have become parents themselves and look at my friends that are turning 60 and can’t believe THEY will ever be that age.

Ah, young one. Just wait.

This Chapter

We have shared our formative years together. We’ve laughed, fought, partied and have done some things we probably shouldn’t have. Ahem… Most importantly, we’ve led some movements and changed some things in our small world for the better. But now conversations start with “How’s your…” and you can fill in the blank with things like “your back, your arthritis, your diabetes, your heart”. We find that we still hanging onto all of the activities of our youth, while mourning our illnesses, loss of parents, and celebrating marriages of all of our kids and our kids friends.

This next chapter is so different from the last few. I think maybe now that I have friends turning 60 that I’m finally becoming an adult. I think there is credibility in knowing that some of your best friends are 60 and that your friendships how endured some serious shit. There’s a knowing with each other. No words are needed. And we don’t freak out if we don’t talk every day. I absolutely know my circle of friends that will pick up the phone if I call for help.

The Chapter After This One

I honestly don’t know how the next chapter will read. I really don’t care. Today is the only day I care about. I’m going to love the hell out of these people every day because if 60 isn’t inconceivable enough, imagine when we the first friend turns 70 and then 80. I know it will be here faster than I wish for because time seems to have grown wings. I hate when time fucking does that.

We have so much living to do until then. At least while our backs, arthritis, diabetes, and hearts are cooperating. Now note that I still have more than one handful of years until I turn 60, but I will say, my friends are setting an amazing example of what 60 is and can do, so I’m going for it. So watch out. You’ve been warned.

LLM

Link to the FNBB PODCAST!!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1594894/11130051