Half a century

Five decades. Fifty years. 18,250 days.*

It seems like a long time and yet it continues to fly past, and at times I sense it is accelerating. There’s no doubt that I’m introspective. I see it as a positive. I think a lot, about a lot of different things. It’s simply part of who I am.

I am fortunate. Fortunate to have had the parents I have - Aileen and John, to have the three siblings I have - Marcelline, Nancy and John and their spouses/families - and to have found my Margreet. 

Family is far more important to me than anything.

I also have my health. I am more fit than I’ve ever been. I’m as determined as ever to take care of myself and I’m optimistic about what lies ahead.

Every day I learn something new - mostly about myself and how I want to interact with those around me and the world at large. Never stop learning - great advice that I have heeded.

Turning 50 seems surreal in the sense that I don’t think much about my actual age. There are two major reasons for this: Margreet and embracing an active lifestyle.

It’s important to find someone with whom to share your life. It’s not easy. And it’s as much a journey as any other aspect of life. When the person appears, you know.

As for being active, that is a conscious decision. At first it had little to do with performance per se and it was far more about being. As a kid I played road/ice hockey, baseball and tennis - in particular. I scored many Stanley Cup winning goals, had a few World Series winning at bats and final out catches on the wall and even managed to out hit Bjorn Borg - I had a huge poster of him on my wall.

I credit my initial move to Vancouver for opening the door to a range of new sports including skiing, mountain biking, road cycling and triathlon. I found great inspiration in the ocean and mountains here on the West Coast and the people I met who challenged me to seize the day. I did, I have and I hope I always will.

I ran my first marathon 15 years ago. I finished my first Ironman 12 years ago. I was in Kona - for the first time as an athlete - six years ago. I am in my fourth age-group - and that's a huge positive. I am young again every five years, though I seek to be young at heart every day.

I was born in Toronto and lived there for the first 19 years. Toronto will always be home to me. I spent four years - mostly - in Ottawa at university. I spent almost a year in France, also at university and wandered around Europe. Highly recommended. And I spent the better part of seven years in Australia: working and at the same time becoming a triathlete.

I’ve now been back on the West Coast for almost six years. (I'm still a Maple Leaf, always will be.)

I’m a numbers guy, though my high school calculus teacher would perhaps challenge that assertion. He just didn’t get me.

I’ve been a journalist/editor for 25 years. It's all I've ever wanted to do. The career that I've had so far is vastly different than I expected and yet the essence of what I do is exactly what I love. I graduated from Carleton, where I met some superb individuals, with a degree in journalism and political science in 1986. 

I dreamt of going to graduate school - the London School of Economics was atop my list - but when I was done with a formal education, I was done. I wanted to be ‘in’ the world, studying it as a participant. I wanted to work and jumped at the opportunity at a failing UPI and then leapt at the one from a nascent Bloomberg. I had no idea where I would end up but I was confident it was a step forward.

Being creative is something nurtured deep within, daily, and I credit my parents for instilling this gift in me. My love of reading and writing comes from my Mom, my love of photography and visual art from my Dad. They also taught me the importance of family, integrity and respecting others.

I write, paint and take photos - primarily for me. Each is a form of expression and I think my ‘work’ so to speak reflects who I am. But it’s mostly for me.

Yes, I have a blog and this post will appear on it as have hundreds of others. It's one way that I can collect my thoughts. I have many blogs, a mix of writing and photos and paintings. A digital collection of me.

Half a century. Thousands of words written, thousands of photos taken. Thousands more of both to follow. Random - and not so random - thoughts and images.

Words and photos help to capture the relationships I have with family, friends and the world - both local and global.

I am very happy with my life. Being content is a good place to be. That doesn’t mean I’m planning to slow down anytime soon. Far, far from it. I do believe that what you get in life is directly related to what you put in.

This past week I learned the meaning of Namaste - the greeting I hear at the end of every yoga session - and it strikes me as an appropriate way to conclude my first half century: The spirit in me, honours the spirit in you.

*A friend noted that I've been around longer than I realize when one takes into consideration leap years!