60 is the new 40… I Hope

”There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Albert Einstein

Last night, I watched a movie on Netflix titled “2 Hearts.” The movie is based on Eric Gregory’s book “All my Tomorrows: A Story of Tragedy, Transplant, and Hope.” It’s the true story of his 19-year-old son Christopher, an organ donor who saved the life of Jorge Bacardi (Bolivar in the movie). Jorge suffered since childhood a lung disease that nearly ended his life. Even though the doctors predicted that he would not live beyond the age of 20, at the age of 64 he received the gift of life, a double-lung transplant that enabled him to take his first full breath of air. That experience in 2008 inspired the Bacardis to build the Gabriel House of Care on Mayo Clinic’s campus in Jacksonville. Before Jorge knew his organ donor by name, he wrote a heartfelt letter of gratitude to the donor family in which he referred to Christopher as “Gabriel,” his saving angel. Christopher, a student at Loyola University in New Orleans, suffered a fatal brain aneurysm. His driver’s license indicated that he was an organ donor, and thus he saved not only Jorge’s life but the life of four other recipients. The movie is narrated from Christopher’s point of view, and it begins with Einstein’s quote: “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” 

It’s only been a couple days since I reached the sixties. On the last day of the fifties, I told my daughter, today is my last day of fooling around. Tomorrow, I must become a serious, mature woman. Unfortunately, the need to act mature doesn’t seem to be kicking in just yet. I think deep inside, I will always be an immature child. This is best reflected when I video chat with my two childhood best friends. We automatically revert to complete immaturity. When I’m with them, I can truly be myself. I don’t need to wear a mask. They’ve known me since birth, so they’ve known me at my best and at my worst. When I talk to them, even though we are all in our sixties, we can revert to being ten years old again, and no one will laugh.

My favorite character in the movie is Christopher. You can’t help falling in love with him. He is immature, goofy, gets horrible grades on his first semester at Loyola, his father threatens to cut off his support, and yet, he has this zest for life that sparks a sense of fondness for the teenager. He lived for the moment, almost as if he knew that his life would be cut short.

In a world where all we hear about are tragedies and sadness, we need cheers not tears. We have to live for today and enjoy the moment. That is exactly what I did this past weekend. I spent an amazing weekend in Chicago, doing a combination of mature things proper of my age, as well as some childhood things. If truth be told, I enjoyed the latter more than the former, which is probably why I could relate so well to Christopher while watching the movie.

One of the things I enjoyed most from this weekend was our visit to the zoo. Normally, I would not include a visit to a zoo on a short trip like this. This is something we used to do when the kids were little, but not anymore. Lucky for me, my youngest son Alex and his girlfriend Keely joined us on this trip. Keely is a big time animal lover, so when I gave them the options for our weekend itinerary, the Chicago zoo was at the top of their list. I’m so happy they chose that because I know that on my own, I would have discarded that option. Spending a morning at the zoo made me feel like a kid again.

I have been dreading the sixties as if it was the plague. But now that I have reached them, I realize that nothing needs to change. Age is just a number. It’s how I feel deep inside that really counts. Therefore, who cares if I continue being carefree and immature. Well, maybe my hubby, but he’s put up with me for forty years so he can put up with me for another forty. 

Now that I have reached that conclusion, I can look forward with happy expectations and hope. After all, 60 is the new 40, so I can continue enjoying the summer of my life for a little longer. No need to get depressed because autumn has arrived. And just like Christopher, Jorge and Albert, I choose to live my life as though everything is a miracle.

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