What Does it Mean to Age Successfully?

I was enjoying a beer with my dad last week while visiting Pennsylvania, when one of his friends saddled up to the bar beside us.

After a few minutes chatting, he offered the advice his dad gave him when he was a kid.

“The only thing my dad wanted us to be when he grew up,” he said, tapping the bar with his finger for emphasis, “was content. And that’s all I want for my son.”

Then he asked me if I was content.

Heady conversation for a Friday afternoon...

But it didn't take me long to answer. I’d spent the morning playing 18 holes of golf with my dad. I made the trip home for two reasons – to play golf with Dad, as I wanted to show him how my lessons were improving my game – and to adopt a two-year-old red and white basset hound named Angelo. I had the flexibility to make the trip because I decided to work for myself.

While my golf game left plenty to be desired, the crisp autumn air and the peak foliage in the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania did not. (Nor did that one hole where I out-drove my Dad...) And while Angelo is definitely on the shy side, I’d say all in all I feel fortunate to experience moments in my life when I feel so content.

There are plenty of things to want in life, and it’s important to have a vision of things you’d like to learn and do, and places you want to go, experiences you’d like to have. I don't want to be complacent in my search for personal and professional growth.

But I think it’s equally important to be able to drive along the highway on a sunny fall day, reach over and scratch the ear of your new 87lb chunk of love, and lean in and appreciate the moments when your heart could not possibly feel more full.

Originally, I was going to write this post about what it means to age successfully, especially in terms of maintaining your physical health.

But I'll save that for next week.

Because I think contentment, and the ability to have moments where you feel content, is an important component of successful aging.

Here is a photo of Angelo. My mom said we should just call him Angel, because he's so sweet.

Vinnie disagrees wholeheartedly...