Living a Life Worth Watching

Getting older is a trade-off. For each year we gain in lifespan, we lose a little more hair, a little more energy and a few more aging friends. Time truly is an unrepentant thief. The great sculptor Michelangelo once said, “The more the marble wastes, the more the statue grows.” He may not have been talking about our aging bodies, but it is a fitting analogy. At least, it is a fitting analogy for my friend Jim.

Jim turned ninety last week, and like anyone who has lived a long life, he has seen and done a great many things. I love to hear his stories of Hollywood in the 30s and 40s, of his lovely wife Billie and her life as a Rockette, of his travels and chance encounters with the “rich and famous”, and of his treasure chest of friendships that have survived over half a century. I bought him a pin-on badge to wear during his birthday celebration that says “I have survived damn near everything.” It should have said “I have survived damn near everything and in spite of it all I have maintained my dignity, my sense of humor, my enthusiasm for life, most of my teeth and my good looks.” But, it was just a little pin-on badge - not a billboard.

Jim epitomizes what I hope to be at ninety. Mainly - alive. (smile)

But all kidding aside, I don’t mean “alive” in the sense of “still breathing”, but “alive” as in “engaged in the joy of this present moment”. Life is, after all, about more than respiration. It is about seeing the humor, the wonder, and the mystery that is endemic to the human experience, and choosing to embrace it rather than run from it. It’s about finding inspiration and satisfaction in this life rather than waiting for an afterlife. It’s about growing in wisdom even as we diminish in physical stature. It’s about maintaining our belief that life is good, even when bad things happen.

Far too often, I think, we measure life by the quantity of the years we’ve lived rather than by the quality of the years we’ve lived. The end result is a willingness to accept a life that has length, but no depth. We walk in the shallows and become shallow ourselves.

A very wise person once remarked “One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching.” Jim’s life is worth watching at full-fare, non-matinee pricing, and I want mine to be too. When the credits roll at the end, I hope people think they’ve had the chance to view an epic.

So tonight, raise a glass in a toast to my friend Jim, and celebrate the inspiration that a life well-lived brings to others. Then get out there and inspire someone.