Table of Contents
Happy Birthday
I celebrated my 75th birthday in September. It marks the beginning of the last chapter of my life. How did those years go by so quickly? Who is that old guy looking back at me in the mirror? Why do things hurt in the morning?
I’ve come to the realization that for most of us our lives can be broken down into four discrete chapters lasting approximately 25 years. The first chapter is schooling and preparation for adulthood. The second is family and career. The third marks the transition into becoming “empty nesters” as the children are grown. It is also the time that some of us lucky ones can retire. I’ve just started the fourth chapter and realize that there are more years behind me than in front of me, However that is okay, it is a strange life after all. Here is a retrospective.
Chapter One – When we were young
After I mastered learning how to walk and talk, it was time for years of schooling. Developing a sense of humor helped me from getting beat up. I was (and continue to be) somewhat of a dork. Imagine wearing a polka dot shirt and having eye glasses with scotty dog ornaments on the hinges.
Later I realized that polka dots were not very cool and chose a more stylish attire.
An important part of the first chapter of life is avoiding death and disease. In 1954 or 1955 I was a “Polio Pioneer” who was in the trial group for Salk Polio Vaccine. As kids we were terrified of the disease. I don’t remember any anti-vaxxers back then. The vaccine worked, no iron lung for me.
I wasn’t as concerned as much about nuclear war. We were told that covering our heads under our desk would protect us from any Soviet blast. We spent those years in the shadow of nuclear annihilation.
The other danger I was unaware of at the time was the lack of seatbelts or any other kind of automotive safety device. We just rode along in the Mercury oblivious to any danger.
Adolescence occurs just about midway in Chapter One. It is a disruptive time and I’ve managed to forget most of it. At the time my mom was teaching 3rd grade. She would take a brief case to work. She thought it might be a good idea for me to take a brief case to school. It only took about 2 minutes for people to start calling me “briefcase”. Those were tough years. I have another school photo to share of my Junior High (AKA Awkward High) class. We weren’t children and we weren’t adults, we were in transition.
By High School I was fairly confident with my life trajectory but soon external events would bring some changes. Kennedy was assassinated when I was a Junior and suddenly Vietnam was showing up in the News.
I spent some time at the University of Connecticut, first as an engineering student and then as an art student. I would say I was confused about what I wanted to be.
Later I had better results at Norwalk State Technical College studying Electronics. However after graduation I learned that the government had other plans for me. I received a draft notice in 1968. I enlisted in the Navy and discovered that my schooling was not in vain. The Navy sent me to Memphis for electronics training as a Avionics Technician. No chipping paint for me. However I did swab some decks.
After four years of the Navy I left California for a cross country journey in my Datsun B-210 accompanied by my girlfriend who would become my bride. This was he beginning of Chapter Two.
Chapter Two – Family and Career
After the Navy I returned to Norwalk State Technical College to earn an additional Associate Degree in Data Processing. This served me well in landing a job at Digital Equipment Corporation in 1973, a job I held until the company was sold to Compaq. I stayed on till the company was sold to Hewlett-Packard. In all it was about a 40 year stint.
First comes love, then comes marriage. Ginny and I got married in July 1974. I wore a ridiculous puffy pirate shirt, but Ginny looked beautiful and that is all that counts.
My son was born in 1976 and the twins came in 1980. We were crammed into a small house until we could afford a larger home on the same property.
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) was a great place to work. I didn’t fully appreciate it until it dissolved and was absorbed by Compaq and Hewlett-Packard. I worked with a diverse and amusing group of people.
Chapter Three – Empty Nest & Retirement
Two of my children graduated from college and all now have good jobs. I couldn’t be happier. I took an early retirement package from Hewlett-Packard and started working at a start-up company. I still had a mortgage and the parents share of student loans. I made a decision to continue to work until I was 70 to get the maximum social security monthly payment. After all, I had no health issues and would live to be 100.
Health Issues
I never experienced any health issues during my childhood. I didn’t get sprayed with Agent Orange serving on a carrier during Vietnam. The vaccine saved me from getting polio and the lack of seatbelts wasn’t an issue because the Mercury didn’t crash into anything. I felt invincible until one December day in 2013 when I was taking my morning walk with friends. I was coughing and winded and found that I could barely walk up a hill. A visit to the doctor and a failed stress test indicated that I have a heart block and I was scheduled for pacemaker implantation.
Thank goodness for modern technology, but this experience taught me that someday it is all going to come to an end.
I chose to retire on the Ides of March 2017. However I came back the day after when I learned they had a catered lunch. Eat Strong is my motto.
Chapter Four – The Closing Act
I spent my 75 birthday having lunch with my wife at Kogetsu, a Chinese restaurant in Peterborough, NH. This has become a tradition with us. I only hope that this Chapter will be as interesting and joyful as the other three.
