When I'm Sixty-Four

As the years become faded memories, there are some dates that never leave your brain's electronic data storage. Take 1967 for instance. That was the year I first heard the Beatles song, "When I'm Sixty-Four." I was reminded of it this week when my days on planet Earth reached that magic number. Wasn't it only yesterday that 64 seemed really, really old?

The birthday milestone prompted an examination of what has happened in my brief lifespan. No question that change has been a constant theme, both globally and personally. Nothing has been certain but uncertainty. And that's not just hyperbole.

If you will indulge my fit of nostalgia, here is my list of moments and events that changed history and influenced the lives of most of us Boomers:

1. Neil Armstrong's stroll on the moon deserves top billing. Americans sat mesmerized in front of their televisions as what seemed like science fiction played out on our screens. The technological achievement has no equal in my lifetime.

2. The attacks of September 11th are forever etched in our memories. Most Americans can describe with amazing clarity where they were and what they were doing when the two airplanes smashed into the Twin Towers. In the days and years that followed, Americans no longer felt safe from attack on our own soil.

3. The assassination of President Kennedy gripped the country like no event before or since. As Americans watched on television, the country buried a youthful hero too young to die. It made all of us feel a little more vulnerable.

4. The Cuban missile crisis threatened to plunge the country into a war with Russia. The world shuddered as the brinkmanship between the two countries appeared headed for a nuclear showdown. We all breathed easier when Russia stood down, but we never forgot the feeling of uneasiness about our future.

5. The collapse of the Berlin Wall shook the foundations of democracy. The Russian empire was thought to be invincible. When the wall came down, Russia disintegrated at a breathtaking pace. The world order changed overnight.

6. The Vietnam War was the first conflict that aired on the evening news. The television pictures shocked a nation that was used to seeing old photos and reading print stories about the violence of war. The coverage awakened a peace movement and changed the way people viewed war, the military and the sacrifices required for victory.

7. Watergate sunk the presidency of Richard Nixon and shamed a nation. It may have ended one man's political career, but its lasting impact was the role the media played in driving an elected official from office. That gave rise to a virulent strain of investigative journalism that has become more of a tool for the activist media to drive out of power those opponents of its views and agenda.

8. The shooting of Martin Luther King snuffed out the life of a change agent. The terrible tragedy focused attention on the black-white strife boiling beneath the surface. Many Americans were forced to confront their own feelings about race.

9. The Roe vs. Wade decision by the Supreme Court remains one of the most controversial judicial rulings in history. The verdict has sparked decades of jostling on both sides of the issue. It also has focused the spotlight on the power of the court to impact everyday lives.

10. No list would be complete without paying tribute to the Internet. It has facilitated the lightning spread of information, ideas and human communication beyond what was once imaginable. People around the globe are now connected in a way that could never have been possible without the Internet.

That's my top ten. You probably have others that belong on the list. But there is one moment that only I can claim. And it is the reason that Sixty-Four doesn't seem so alien, even if Paul McCartney must have worried about the uncertainties of growing old when he wrote, "Will you still need me? Will you still feed me? When I'm Sixty-Four."

In 1967, something else happened that changed me forever. That was the year I proposed to a gorgeous coed named Dianna. When she accepted my offer of marriage, it gave new meaning to my life. Now 42 married years later, my days are filled with unbridled joy, unconditional love and mutual faith.

Sharing my life with Dianna also produced two incredible sons who make me proud every day. They in turn have introduced two wonderful daughters-in-law into my life and one extraordinary grandson. Add to that many good friends and family it is easy to understand why I am such a blessed man.

As a result, Sixty-Four now sounds like a much kinder number than it once did.