A few weeks ago the odometer reading on our 2019 Toyota minivan rolled over to six digits. I remember when a vehicle with 100,000 miles on it was usually nearing the end of, if not its lifespan at least its reliability. Not so with our van. At least I hope so. It shows no sign of imminent catastrophic failure for which Joyce and I are grateful. Not making a car payment is a wonderful thing. Cars are a lot more reliable than they used to be.
Three days ago marked another odometer milestone for me. On December 29 I turned 70. Having a birthday four days after Christmas was always a drag. As a kid I never had a birthday party. By this point in the holiday season people tend to be weary of sweets and parties. One year my “birthday cake” was actually a meat pie. And since it fell in the middle of Christmas break I even missed the perfunctory classroom celebrations that my classmates enjoyed. In fact, more often than not my present was wrapped in Christmas paper.
But this birthday was truly special. It fell in the midst of a ten day long holiday in Hawaii, compliments of our son and daughter-in-law.
The day dawned for me on the 10,023 ft. summit of Haleakala, the highest point on the Island of Maui.
It ended with the sun setting west of Maui with the Island of Molokai visible across the strait.
It was a wonderful day and a wonderful trip. But vacations don’t last forever. I write this in the Minneapolis airport awaiting the final leg of the flight home. We left behind the sea mist coming off the rolling breakers of paradise. In exchange we got to see our breath as we trudged up the jetway here in Minnesota. The sound of the pounding surf has been replaced with the rumble of jets.
Paradise lost.
One has a lot of time for reflection while relaxing by the sea, watching the waves come rolling in. The waves are always the same yet always different. Sometimes they are small, sometimes large, but they never stop. Like birthdays, they just keep coming. Some are easily forgotten. Some are forever etched in our memories.
70 once seemed ancient to me. And in truth, it was not that many decades ago that 70 WAS old. But better nutrition, better healthcare, and safer working conditions have enabled my generation to enjoy a far better prospect of a far longer lifespan.
But simply adding days to one’s life isn’t much of an accomplishment. What we do with those added days makes all the difference. There is one advantage to having a late December birthday. For it falls just in time for those New Year’s resolutions. A new year of life reinforces a new year on the calendar as a propitious time to make changes. So I’m in a reflective mood as I wait for our flight to O’Hare to be called. Like our old minivan I’ve got my share of dings and scratches. But God willing, I’m still good for a lot more miles. I’m not sure what all those resolutions will be, but I want to make the most of what God gives me. Seize the day!
