28,000 DAYS & 2,500,000,000 HEARTBEATS

Some time ago I heard and wrote about the fact that we have 2,500,000,000 heartbeats in a lifetime. Recently I have heard that the average lifespan is 75 years and is 28,000 days long.

Why do the number of days make this suddenly seem a very short time? Probably because all of us can count to 28,000 and can imagine it but 2 billion, 500 million is too great to easily comprehend.

Even if we aren’t daunted by the 28,000 days in the average lifespan of 75 years, giving a moment to think about where we are at in our lives at this moment, likely does. Suddenly there’s a lot we would like to do, isn’t there? I know I think so.

Recently I have been thinking a lot about Women and aging. Being a Baby Boomer, I am a member of a giant cohort which were ‘Born at the Right Time’ in terms of being such a large group that our numbers alone have changed our society. Now, like it or not, and I imagine most of us don’t, we will be raising the average age of the population towards being considerably older than it has perhaps ever been.

A few years ago when I saw organizations for ‘Retired Persons’, I could not imagine ‘My Generation’ ever admitting to being old or even older. When someone wanted those of 55, and now 45, to consider themselves older (or dare I say it, elderly) many of us scoffed at the mere idea that they meant us.

Around the same time, the banks, in an effort to attract middle aged customers were selling the possibility of retiring at 55. Since I wasn’t 55 at the time I first heard of this, I paid very little attention. It seems now most people are figuring they will be working till they drop and 55 is either approaching fast or long gone.

Nevertheless whenever you stop counting the odd grey hair and decide that it’s time to cover it, you have crossed the threshold acknowledging your are (like it or not) aging.

A few years ago, I was both charmed and surprised that a few gentlemen still existed in my city, evidenced by some younger men giving up their subway seats to me. Today, however, I am a bit chagrined that both young men and young women, give up their seats to me.

Yikes! Maybe the bags under my eyes are the reason and not a sudden (previously unimaginable) outbreak of good manners in the younger generation.

The fact remains, when your youngest siblings aren’t that young anymore and you are attending nieces and nephews weddings, it may be time to look at where you stand in the life cycle and whether you have some unfinished business that you would like to take care of sooner rather than someday.

This reevaluation of priorities is a good idea at any age, but an even better one for us Boomers since the breaths and the days are likely fewer and there’s still a lot most of us could and would like to do.