25204 AND COUNTING.....

Most people have a countdown to some event in the future they may be looking forward to - a birthday, perhaps Christmas or a holiday. Me, I`ve got a countup, which you will see to the right and down a bit, is counting the days since I arrived on 19th July 1939. Today, the day after my birthday, it stands at 25204 days.

I had a good day. I was fortunate to receive cards and messages from family and friends, for which I was grateful. In the evening, we went to a party next door, where our neighbour`s wife was celebrating her own 50th birthday and we spent a few pleasant hours in the company of good friends and neighbours. This, of itself, brought home our good fortune to live in a peaceful neighbourhood far removed from the urban jungle which seems to grow more hostile with each passing day.

And, as I reached the 69th parallel, it got me thinking about a couple of other things too. First, I really do count myself lucky to have been around this long. When I think of the number of people I have known who have passed away at a much earlier age - my own father dropping dead from a heart attack at the age of 62 for example - I count my blessings. And the curious thing is that I realise I`m getting older....but I don`t feel like I am. OK, there are the tell-tale signs around the edges - slowing down, thinning hair, bits of medication for this and that - but by and large I pride myself on retaining a mental age of about eight or nine which enables me to hold on to my enquiring mind and to explore and wonder at what I might discover.

An enquiring mind at work

People were kind enough to wish me `many happy returns,` which was nice, especially as since the 18th century, that phrase has been used as a salutation to offer the hope that a happy day being marked would recur many more times. I hope so too, at least all the time I retain the option of growing up rather than growing old.