Hard to imagine, but today is my eighty-ninth birthday. I was thinking about what to write for mark the occasion, and I decided to interview myself. In the transcript below, X is myself as interviewer, and D is myself as respondent.
Love,
Dave
X: Congratulations! Eighty-nine is a significant birthday.
D: It is. Though not as big as next year. Today begins my final year as an octogenarian. A year from today (if I’m still around) I will become a nonagenarian.
X: What is your secret for living this long?
D: It beats me. I always thought of myself as rather fragile — that I would surely die younger than average. My best guess now is that it’s because I’m so defensive and conflict avoidant. I’ve managed to keep stress to a minimum.
X: How many people your age are still alive?
D: I asked Google. 38.8% of people born in 1937 are still living. That’s about 936,000 people.
X: Wow, you could have a big party. What will you do to celebrate the occasion?
D: Katja and I usually go out to dinner on our birthdays. Tonight we have a reservation at our favorite restaurant, Jean-Robert Cavel’s La Bar a Boeuf. Ironically they are shudtting their doors a week or two from now. So this will be our final birthday celebration there.
X: Katja will also be celebrating her eighty-ninth birthday this year.
D: Yes. My life would be totally different if we weren’t able to grow old together.
X: How is your life different than it was 10 or 15 years ago.
D: I’d say it’s more similar than different. OLLI classes at the university; working out at the fitness center; the symphony, opera, Linton chamber music series; eating out; poetry writing; scrapbooking. On the other hand, we’ve experienced major losses of friends and family members over the last decade.
X: As the family patriarch, what is some wisdom that you could pass along to the younger generation.
D: The first thing that occurs to me is don’t be afraid to take risks. Unfortunately that’s some wisdom that I’ve never been able to put into practice.
X: If you were to live your life over, is there something you would change?
D: That’s hard. I’m pretty content with my life so far. Cincinnati has been an enjoyable place to live. I chose the right profession for me. I married the girl of my dreams. Our son has always been a joy.
X: What have been the best years of your life?
D: While I didn’t realize it at the time, my childhood was pretty idyllic. My college years were definitely the most exciting. My current retirement years are very satisfying. We are healthy, financially secure, and have endless freedom to pursue activities we choose.
X: It sounds like this is a birthday to celebrate. I hope everything continues to go well in the coming year.
D: Thanks. That’s my plan too.
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