The First Fifty

"I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming that comes when you finish the life of the emotions and of personal relations; and suddenly find—at the age of fifty, say—that a whole new life has opened before you, filled with things you can think about, study, or read about."
Agatha Christie (1890-1976)

In less than a week I will be turning 50! This means that most of the very active first half of my life is over and I will be starting off on the second half. I have a few regrets about the first fifty years, regrets about all the ways I treated others;

- That kid at summer camp who I picked on and teased? I really should have gone a step further and really made him pay for picking on that other kid.

- That girl in high school (I never remember her name) should have gone out with me instead of that guy who I punched and told he was a real loser (I always forget his name too).

- That kid I gave the bloody nose to in second grade because he was picking on some other kid? He should'nt have climbed up that tree where I could throw road apples at him all day until he cried. (I was only in second grade but it was too good an opportunity to pass up).

There are other regrets but if I listed them here it would make me look like a softie and I'm a really tough-as-nails doctor.....okay, okay... family doctor (we can't all work in the ER).

Fifty is going to be really cool. I still have pretty good knees and my eyes are still okay as long as my bifocals don't turn into trifocals. My kids think I should get a tattoo and an eye patch so that will be pretty fun then I can be a Dad and a pirate. My wife still thinks I'm still handsome and now that my hair line is receeding things are really going to heat up at my house around Valentine's Day (if you know what I mean) and as long as my back does'nt give out, I'll be able to still do some killer pushups at the beach in front of the refreshment stand when everybody is watching.

Anyone interested in doing the half Ironman in July in Providence should sign up since I'll be racing this summer. I'll be the one at the starting line on the beach getting ready for the swim with the red Superman cape around my neck and an ego as big as a house.

Note: I would like to thank my parents, brothers, sisters, wife and children for putting up with me and for being such a great support. I try to call my family on birthdays and holidays but I sometimes forget. It must have been a trying first 50 years for them so I pledge that the next 50 will not be so difficult. I'll change and try and be a better son, brother and husband. In the next 50 years, my family will not recognize me because I am going to be less egotistical and pay a lot more attention to them. Because they are all very important to me and besides....I might need someone to help me find my trifocals.