The View From Here . . .
By Bob Morgan, Jr.

The day after this is written will be my 55th birthday. I am not exactly thrilled about this impending milestone, but it is here nevertheless. And, as I have been reminded by a number of people, having a birthday certainly beats the alternatives.

There was, of course, a time when I thought that 55 was very old. When I was growing up, there was an expression, "Don't trust anyone over 30," basically taking the view that those who had attained three decades were likely to be corrupted by the "establishment," as it was called then. Of course, in the mindset of young people of the time, the attitudes and trustworthiness of someone 25 years older than 30 were presumably beyond all hope.

I do remember when I was in my college days studying American history and I noticed that most United States presidents were around the age of 55. It also occurred to me that many senior business leaders were about that age as well and that 55 arguably is the age at which power and authority peak for many people. For a brief moment, it didn't strike me as such a bad age, until I pondered the relatively few years left before old age truly sets in. Life as a 20 year old did not seem so bad.

Still, not that I can change things, there are considerable consolations to being 55.

Once you attain a certain age, there is a bit of a presumption in your favor among people you encounter casually. Most folks tend to act a bit deferential to their elders and generally are inclined to work with you. Security guards at sporting events, for example, are pretty much inclined to wave people of a certain age into the venue rather than do a thorough search of all your possessions.

Another advantage of attaining this exalted age is that one generally does have a greater sense of perspective. I am less inclined to become upset about minor reverses and slights and much less likely to become confrontational over relatively small problems. On a social level, it often makes far more sense to agree to disagree about an issue (for example, a political point) rather than to engage in exhaustive and futile debate.

The converse of not worrying so much about the small stuff is that one is able to focus better on the most important parts of life. For me, of course, young Robert, now age 13, remains the focus of my life. The lad will be returning from seven weeks of camp this weekend and he shortly will be beginning eighth grade. Although Robert has started to embark on the dreaded teenage years, we have always had a great relationship and I am very much committed to providing the love and guidance that he deserves.

I have actually been fortunate at age 55 to have enjoyed good health, an interesting career and many great friends. I can't say that I look forward to getting even older, but life has been good so far.