Last of the 60's

 January 3,2024

I'm writing this on the eve of my 69th birthday. Tomorrow also begins a countdown till January 2025 when I reach the 70 mark.

One that seems clear to me.. no matter how young I "feel" and according to my last checkup I'm in better shape than ever,chances are the bulk of my life has past.   How much longer remains to be seen. My mother passed away at 56. My dad passed at 80. My grandparents lived until their 70's The average lifespan for a black man in America is 71. One can only speculate..I've already out lived my mom.

I've already outlived some of my heroes..Bob Marley Richard Brautigan to name a couple and at times life seems unfair in that in the last few years I've lost people who are much younger than myself

I say all this not to be morbid but with the realization that there's no escaping getting old and that life the way we know it now is finite.

The question now becomes "Whether it's tomorrow or 5 10 or 20 years from now How do I want to spend this senior chapter?"

I remember when I turned 30. I wasnt too happy with the shape of my life. I had blown a full college scholarship and a career path only to end up in a church group that was a borderline cult. I jumped from that into a marriage that was doomed from the start and now I had a child I had no idea as to how I was going to support as 8 years within the group left me with no practical skills to survive in the "outside world". The result of dealing with that "crisis" were among other things were runs for political office but more importantly rediscovering my voice as a writer but now doing it in a new and creative way. More importantly than all that was learning to live a life by being who I am and according to who I am..some call it "counterculture" Rasta. (By the way though many of the jobs I took on were low paying and shitty I survived and so did my daughter)

I feel like the question I face now is every bit as daunting as the question I faced in my 30's. I trust it will unfold like its supposed to.

I do know this since turning 50,I've tended to go all out on my birthday every 10 years.

If everything works out the way I hope See you in Minneapolis Minnesota January 4th 2025!