I Made It!

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On February 20, 2021, I celebrated my 75th birthday. Goodness, I’m now in the 8th decade of my life in spite of a nasty bout of base of tongue cancer in 2010, a complete shoulder replacement in 2015, and a serious three-week case of Covid-19 in November 2020. I’m the lucky one in my birth family as everyone else has passed away: Mom, 47; Dad, 74; brothers David, 71; Douglas, 54; and Greg, 59. The fact that I’m still here has resulted in quite a bit of thinking on my part lately. When one turns 75, it’s time to take stock of the changes that have taken place over the years.

The signs of aging are certainly there for me to see. I was in the barbershop the other day and had a discussion with Jerry Tyson who has been taking care of my hair for 30+ years. I thanked him for doing such a nice job of cutting my “blonde locks,” and he replied, “Pretty much your hair is gray.” Really? I came home, told Diane what had happened, and she looked at me and just smiled. Gray it is! After my cancer event, I now walk instead of jog. A look in the mirror sees my chest having sunk down to where my stomach should be. How the heck did that happen? I used to work in the yard for 7 to 8 hours with seldom a break; whereas, now, a couple of hours of raking, weeding, planting, or mowing is plenty for one day.

The Taylors go to bed earlier these days and wake up with the birds. Three meals a day is a memory. A big lunch results in a light dinner. I am no longer allowed to go on the second story roof to clean out the gutters—good idea, Diane. With age has come pills for a compromised thyroid, severe restless legs, and early-stage glaucoma. One last thing—stairs are becoming an issue and the move to a one-story home is on the radar. So now what?

Birthday #75 began with a lovely walk on the beach with high school friend, Michael Mason. Upon our return, Judy Mason and Diane quit talking immediately. I knew Diane had been up to something but didn’t know what. Regarding birthday and Christmas presents, Gordy Taylor has everything he could possibly want. What was she up to? Diane was on her iPhone and iPad more than usual and got secret phone calls. She just smiled again and reminded me I was having a birthday. What the dickens was going on? I would soon find out.

Midmorning she asked the Masons and me to join her to watch something on the TV. Diane had a twinkle in her eye. Suddenly, a montage of familiar faces appeared on the screen, music played, and one-by-one each person spoke to their relationship with me over the years. During the course of the day, we watched four splendid group videos: the men of Tau Kappa Epsilon and Delta Sigma Phi respectively, close friends, and finally my family. It was an extraordinary trip down Memory Lane with over 150 well-wishers. It was like listening to my own eulogy in real time with the good fortune of being alive to hear it.

And there was more still to come. After dinner we had a Zoom birthday party with our kids, spouses, cousins, in-laws, and grandkids. It was wonderful seeing their faces since Covid had made person-to-person visits impossible. Then after special birthday cake was served, with minimal cake and a frosting overload—just the way I like it, Diane brought out a 24 x 36 poster board. On it were printed columns—one by Jennifer, one by Gordon, and one by Ryan in which each one wrote 25 memories of “Life with Dad” for a total of 75. WOW!! I took the poster and exited to our bedroom where with a glass of wine, I read what my three kids had written. I laughed; I cried. It was incredible. My family had somehow found a way to bestow on me a one-of-a-kind gift I will treasure for the rest of my days. The words of Yankee baseball Hall of Famer Lou Gehrig seemed appropriate, “Today, I’m the luckiest man on the face of the earth.”

As I enter the 4th quarter of my life a bit further each day, I am grateful for the many gifts that have come my way. I’ve seen too many friends leave this world too soon and that makes me see the wisdom of living each day to the fullest. A dear friend once told me, “Gordy, every day above ground is a great day.” She’s right!

I try to remember the important events like my first date with Diane, a special lunch we shared in Sorrento, Italy, overlooking the Mediterranean, and, of course, the birth of our kids and grandchildren. I try to “make a difference” in my life and hope when I leave the stage, I leave things a little better than I found them. Clearly, 75 is not my beginning but then again, fortunately, not the end either as there are footprints in the sand yet to be made and memories still to come. As Jackie Gleason was known for saying, “And away we go…”