Are You Where You Want to Be?

And … Will You Leave a Personal Legacy? 

[Note: You will have an opportunity to answer these questions in an essay. Everyone who enters will receive a free Lifetime Membership in the 39 and Holding Club! If already a member, designate a gift recipient. Read below for entry details.]

It’s been said many times, “we are not our parents’ grandparents.” Style, relevance, and most of all, ATTITUDE, define the current older generation – which is setting a Rock & Roll precedent for the future of society.

Moving into an unparalleled aging demographic, it’s the refusal to acknowledge sedentary “old age” that is also unique to this era of 40+ people.

If you are over forty and agree with those statements, take a moment to consider where you are in life. Introspection is frequent for those “of a certain age.” Lately I’ve been scratching my head, wondering what the hell was I thinking twenty, thirty years ago … how about you?

Not all people close to or already in retirement … OK, fewer than you might think … prepared for those once-called Golden Years. Even in a perfect scenario, it’s a daunting time as our lifestyles, minds and bodies undergo intense alterations. Add the Great Recession and it’s been pure, tarnished hell.

Did you catch the slight bitterness in my words?

Unfortunately, yes. I speak from experience.  However, I hear it too, from others in my age bracket nearly every day. I know I’m not alone.

Whatever the reason and wherever we are in life, for each of us, the collective question we have asked at one time or another is, “How did I get here”? [Great subject explored by The Talking Heads’ song, Once in a Lifetime, 1981.]

But at this point in life, a better question is, “Am I where I want to be?” My answer is no. Why? Because in my busy youth, early marriage, raising twin boys, divorced a couple of times, and simply “living for the moment” in a worker-bee environment, I did not give retirement a second thought.

To my defense, I worked predominantly for small businesses that did not offer retirement plans or contribution accounts. In addition, there was not the emphasis on saving for retirement thirty years ago that there is now.

I knew it would come eventually, but it was always “someday.” Then suddenly … it wasn’t. It hit me like a rebel

brick without a building to fit into.

Always a late bloomer, the tough questions that I should have faced years ago tumbled over each other, fighting for attention. Beyond finances and a supplemental income, I found myself dwelling on what, of my life, will anyone – even family – know of me five, ten, twenty years or more, after I Rock On into the afterlife?

What about you?

Those already near or in retirement, are you where you want to be, and … are you leaving a personal Legacy?

If like me, you’re lamenting your youthful fun-and-games, believe me, I understand the urge to succumb to your sum life decisions and wallow in self-pity while languishing in your misery. [Chocolate helps. And wine … lots of wine. :-)]

And while I luxuriate in that destructive mode now and again, for the most part, I continue to strive for a better life, even if it’s only for my waning years. I’ve learned not to beat myself up on a daily basis. Unlike George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four premise, we cannot [yet] change the past.

I didn’t have a crystal ball all those years ago. Did you? We can’t possibly know all the nuances of our decisions that affect our future lives. So I concentrate now, on creating as good a life as possible on my way out … and leaving a meaningful Legacy.

To those partying at the 40-mark I strongly urge you to truly examine where you are and where you want to be in twenty years.

If you’re running around Sixty+, have you given your Legacy any real thought? Life is so fleeting and for those of us who are not Einstein, Hawking, Twain, or King, our time on Earth means … what?

That is up to each of us to decide. Following a vocation I fashioned after forty, I choose to write … not just in these self-interest articles, but a passion emerged in my Blast from Your Past series about pioneering Rock & Roll Radio DJs.

However, my Legacy is more than writing about others … it’s about giving something back in the form of historical memories, and [hopefully], making my family proud that I was a part of their lives. That is my Legacy.

Every morning I wake up makes me think I’m here for a reason; and I feel better if my actions for the day are constructively aimed at leaving this world a better place for my having been here. Do you have a purpose as you meander through retirement? It’s a fact. We live longer when we have something to live for …

If, however, you are already in a comfortable place of contentment created by your life decisions, work, and perhaps a tad bit of dumb luck, you too, might still ask the milestone question, with an added “… and what is my Legacy?”

Who’s up for exploring these life questions further?

You don’t need to be a writer, just jot down a few thoughts about where you are now, where you might want to be, and the Legacy you expect to leave our World.

You do, however, need to be 40+. Why? Because earlier in life you are still laying the groundwork for your “grand” days, whether you realize it or not, and time is on your side. But by forty, you should be thinking further ahead than ever before. I offer this as a “Do as I say, not as I did” suggestion. 

In order to receive your free Club 39 membership, come up with at least 200 words, but no more than 1,000. Be philosophical, introspective, or jazz it up with wry, self-deprecating humor. Whatever suits your fancy. Try not to digress; remember the questions (form your answers for both in one submission or separate them – one free membership per person): Am I where I want to be? What is my personal legacy?

Send it here: LinDee@39AndHoldingClub.com. [Your address and personal information will not be added to any mailing list, or sold, traded for beer, etc. – although the last one is tempting, I’ll refrain.] Please include the month / day ONLY of your birth date, and a snail-mail address for mailing your membership card. 

Want your thoughts kept private? Simply tell me and I’ll not publish a word. Otherwise, your submission includes permission to publish snippets or the entire essay on the 39 and Holding Club site or Club 39 blog.

So grab the crystal ball[(or disco ball, or any round, shiny object] and let’s take a peek at your future!

Ciao for now!

P.S.: Look for another essay opportunity next month … New Beginnings at 40+.