Life After 60: Sometimes You Just Realise How Lucky You Are to Be Alive
Without wishing to sound over dramatic, there are some days when you realise we are truly blessed to be alive.
Friday was one of those days.
I woke up with a real sense of excitement. It’s not every day you are invited to an all-expenses-paid day out at the Home of Cricket.
The invitation was explained as a thank you for the help I had given over the years to a client who is now passing the baton of his family business to his children.
There was something rather fitting about that.
It coincides with my own recent feeling of change and redirection — and at 64, realising that the future can still be incredibly exciting.
As I poked my head out of the bedroom window, the weather wasn’t quite as bright and sunny as most mornings of this magnificent summer have been.
In fact, the sun struggled to show much of a presence all day as summer begins to threaten to fade away.
But none of that mattered.
Breakfast eaten, dressed for the day ahead, I boarded the train and the anticipation started to build.
There is something truly majestic about Lord’s Cricket Ground nestled in St John’s Wood.
I’ve always loved the contrast between the historic buildings and the wonderfully unusual structure of the Media Centre. Somehow, the opposites seem to belong together.
Then there is the buzz of the crowd arriving.
It’s one of those places where, even if the cricket stops for a break in play, you can simply sit and people-watch.
Thousands of people from completely different walks of life come together — the true cricket lovers, the members, the tourists and, like me, those enjoying a little corporate entertainment.
There are traditions too, some of which carry much more weight and drama as they perhaps do at other venues, but they are part of what makes Lord’s so special.
And the cricket certainly didn’t disappoint.
There were some fantastic spells of bowling from England, including a very fast spell from Jofra Archer.
Elegant yet ferocious, he gave the Pakistani batsmen a pretty good idea of what it feels like to face genuine pace.
Once again, I was reminded that live sport is a wonderful thing. No matter how good the television coverage is, it simply cannot produce quite the same feeling as being there.
And you cannot escape the past when you visit somewhere like Lord’s.
History is everywhere.
Portraits of long-gone heroes look down from the walls, while more recent heroes, such as Stuart Broad, remind you that the history of sport is constantly being written.
More Than Just Cricket
But this day was about so much more than cricket.
The conversations ranged far beyond sporting heroes and past performances.
We talked about our children — how they can exasperate you one minute and make you incredibly proud the next.
We talked about holidays, those already taken and those still to come.
And perhaps most importantly, we talked about life.
All of us are now of a certain age. We have lived through good times and difficult times. We have made mistakes, taken wrong turns and, at times, displayed downright stupidity.
But that’s life.
And perhaps there is something wonderful about reaching this stage where you can look back at everything you have experienced and still be excited about what lies ahead.
A New Chapter
We are all looking forward to a different yet rewarding part of our lives, where new heroes will appear and new memories will be made.
Maybe we are heroes to some of our grandchildren.
Maybe we can guide them, encourage them and help them become heroes in their own lives.
And perhaps that is one of the great privileges of getting older — realising that our story isn’t finished.
It is simply changing.
Yes, there will be challenges. There will probably be more mistakes and perhaps even a little more downright stupidity.
But there is also so much to look forward to.
At 64, with my own life taking a new direction, Friday at Lord’s reminded me of something very simple.
Life is precious.
And sometimes you just have to stop, look around and appreciate it.
It is truly fantastic to be alive.
So, as we head into the Bank Holiday weekend, perhaps a simple question:
What is it that makes you glad to be alive?
You might also enjoy:
Living Well After 60: The Little Things That Change
A conversation about the small things that make life better.
A Confession: Why I Love Being a Grandparent
Why some of life’s greatest rewards come with getting older.
Leave a Reply