Reach 59

Reach 59

One has always had the image of bingo being played by elderly folks chain-smoking cigarettes while chugging black coffee in the basement of the church just down the street from one’s ancestral home.

The Japanese are also avid bingo players, but not in the churches and smoky bingo halls dotting the landscape of America.

In Japan, Bingo is played during a party where it is a popular game.

When about to win, with only one last squares remaining the Japanese will shout out—REACH, which means “almost there.”

In Japanese, the handy word REACH can be use in many situations, and this particular case of REACH is particularly salient for the author of this article.

Why so?

On October 24, 1963 one entered the earth’s atmosphere via the extraordinary awesome super Mother’s birth canal at 14:20.

And so began one’s long life long journey chasing the sun, and this coming year represents one’s 59th trip around beloved .

Here the magic number 60 is looming on the near horizon, and this is where it can truly be said:

“It’s one’s 59th birthday—REACH!”

There’s also a fun event which happens at the all important turning point of life—know as kanreki (還暦).

Kanreki is where one dons a red costume to be honoured and venerated by one’s clan in a festive celebration, wonderful way to express deep gratitude to the leaders of on’s clan.

Thinking deeply about the passage of time and how it feels in the different stages throughout life.

Recall back to the days one was sitting in the elementary school daydreaming out window thinking:

“When will this tedious adult ever say something interesting?”

Here the time crawled at a snail’s pace, and felt like it would never end in what seemed like a waste of one’s precious time and life.

Indeed, as one was waiting for the first plane trip to Japan January 11, 1987, the excitement leading up to the departure was palpable.

However, just like all things in life, and with the passage of the abstract notion of time, that event came and went in the blink of an eye, which is now over 35 years ago.

For certain, one need not dwell to heavily on the ultimate equalizer—death—it will be at everyone’s doorstep soon enough, and your own life will have come and gone.

In this particular case, one could actually say the decades of one’s years over the 60s will really start to get interesting.

All mundane and stressful duties of adult life such as raising children and all things in between have drawn to a close.

Here is the opportunity to looks towards fulfilling ambitious desires that were put on the back burner of a busy life in the modern world over three decades.

If the future looks daunting and the decades of the 60s is staring at the face—do not despair.

Another powerful way to think about the second stage of life—normally starts at 60 after a career and then retirement lasting until 80 and even well beyond.

Fundamentally there is one more adult life time to be filled with one’s own heart’s desire.

Thinking about time in such a manner gives hope and purpose for the future—to bring visions which have been floating around the attention they need to realize material fruition.

One’s favourite Japanese four-character-compounds is yugen jiko (有言実行)—keeping the promise to oneself.

As REACH 59 birthday present, one has committed to two projects for the rest of the time upon Mother Earth.

Both hands and heart are full of promise each day to growth, learning, and feel vibrant and alive during the secondary stage of adult life.

Often it is said you are only as old as you feel, and when taking on new project with the talent and experience accumulated over the years of a career, will serve one well over the coming years.

Realize the full expression of one’s own life—it will come to fruition as marked by the final event for which are all destine—as one’s own short time upon Mother Earth will have soon run out.

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