Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Kellie Speaks


I’ve been begging my wife to write a post for the blog, but she always say no. Yesterday she had to write a few paragraphs for a contest to win a travel book; I snagged it for today’s post. 
Crap, I just turned 49, and I am stinging from the realization that 50 is now less than a year away. Fifty years-old, what does that even mean? Am I really going to be half a century old?  Have the best years of my life already passed along with my youth, or will the knowledge and experience that come with age make the next 50 years even better?

Even though I’m the sort of girl who likes to see my cup as half full (or maybe I should say forty-nine percent full) I recognize that the day will come when I won’t have the energy to venture far from my home. I fear the day when age will make traveling a slow and difficult endeavor. Many of the couples that my husband, Joe, and I come across during our travels are senior to us by couple of decades or more.  We watch them using the elevator instead of climbing stairs; we see them taking the bus instead of walking; they limit their excursions to overcrowded sightseeing buses instead of exploring on their own. While I am inspired by their spirt and determination to overcome their infirmities and see the world, there are too many places that I want to visit where health and endurance are a necessity.
I want to travel the mysterious, awe-inspiring South Island of New Zealand. I want to kayak along its wild west coast with its black sand beaches and stunning rain forests; I want to get lost in the maze of ice of the Franz Josef Glacier; I want to trek along Milford Track, seeking out views of glistening waterfalls, rugged faced mountain ranges, and densely packed forests. These are just a few of the 1001 places I want to see before I die. 
I have been traveling for the past few years, but my list of places to go is not getting any shorter; I keep adding to the list. So, let’s do the math. If my life’s journey is only half over, I still have 50 years to go. If I have another 25 years of robust health and 900 places left to visit, that means I need to see about 36 places a year. I’ll just round that up to 50; Joe is always saying we need to have a buffer and a plan for contingencies.  I’m up for the challenge, but I’m not so sure about Joe, he collects injuries and ailments like old ladies collect cats. He better keep up; the weak and sickly get left behind.

12 comments:

  1. Oh, man! You are in trouble, Joe!

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  2. No no no, Kellie. The basis of your equation is wrong. Start here:
    50 is the new 30, which brings an additional 20 years (or 720 places) of robust travel at the onset. Joe, however, is a big nudge (minus 5 robust years and at least 182 places he will whine the joy right out of) and proves himself a global physical liability. However, if you reenergize properly, as you did with the cruise before the cruise, this should add additional increments to the grand total. I suggest you factor in more of these excursions (ratio of 1:1). My first suggestion would be you you, myself and Dina to jet ski the Islands of Dubai. :)Cheers! Karen

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  3. ummmm, I think you (Joe) better start a conditioning program so you'll be able to keep up with Kellie's travel plans.

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  4. Go girl! And, Joe, stay in shape!!

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  5. I love traveling but HATE flying. This poses quite the quandary especially given that Ireland is at the top of my list.

    At 33, I have no doubt I have a list of ailments to rival yours Joe. I best put my travels on hyper drive. Instead of the Ya Ya Sisterhood Journey of the Traveling pants, it will read more like Assisted Living Shuffles of The Depends Gang.

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  6. Well said, Smellie! I think it may be a good invesmtent to check into long term care for Joey. That way, as Karen says, with 50 being the new 30 and you're gaining a few more years of travel, you can leave rickety crickety 'ol Joe home and have an address to send the postcards to. Who knows, maybe if we talk to the insurance agent together we could get a 2-fer discount and Stevie and Joey could be roomies, whilst we knock some places off that ever growing list.

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  7. Kellie, I will turn 49 next month. Let me share something someone shared with me. What age would you say you were if you didn't know when you were born? Go with that and happy birthday!

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  8. I LOVE this, Kellie--good for you! You look absolutely fantastic and have the mindset that will keep you going well into your nineties, so you may need to get Joe a scooter...
    And just know that my husband and I may be nine and ten years behind you on paper, but physically we are thirty years ahead!

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    Replies
    1. Geez, everyone wants to put me in a home or get me a scooter. I'm not feeling the love.

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