Forgive Me for Being Late, But I'm 80

[NOTE: I wrote this on Aug. 21, but apparently, I forgot to post it, which seems ironically humorous considering, that it was my 80th birthday.—don’t you think? Now, I hope I don’t forget and post it again tomorrow.]

I woke up this morning and was surprised to discover that sometime during the night, I had turned 80. My first instinct was to demand a recount, but I have never been good at doing math with big numbers.

But then, I figured it might be a good time to share some of the wisdom I had acquired over these four-score years. I wanted to do something that might be of value to you readers who are one or more generations younger than I am—some acquired wisdom that I could share with those who follow me down the inevitable path of life.

Then, I thought of all the ageism I had heard and seen. I will never forget pitching a Silicon Valley start-up a few years earlier. I had not been doing well with startups, and I suspected the problem was not my pitch but my age.

Whenever I thought our conversation was winding up, I was asked another question and then another. I sensed that they were becoming engaged after all, and my confidence began to grow. The 30-minute engagement stretched into a full hour.

They thanked me heartily and said they would have to discuss engaging me among themselves. I closed the door behind me, feeling encouraged. I sensed that they would soon engage with me.

But then, as I closed the door behind me, I heard them all laughing heartily, and then I heard the young CEO exclaim, ”It felt like my grandfather was pitching me!”

It was then that I realized I had reached a new point in my life. I was experiencing ageism for the first time, and I didn’t like it. I couldn’t do much about it, but I had experienced it enough to become accustomed to it.

If you are fortunate enough to live and work as long as I have and still be good at whatever you do, you will inevitably feel as I did at that moment.

So, this being my 80th birthday, I thought I might share a few thoughts with you, who are most likely younger than me, that I hope will help you along your path to your 80th birthday milestones.

But then, I thought, those kids laughed at me, and maybe some of you readers might do the same. So screw it: You can all figure it out for yourselves, just as I have done.

The lesson of my 80th birthday is that we all have to figure certain things out for ourselves. That’s what wisdom is about. My lesson to you is to do the same.

Living is for a limited time only. Enjoy it while you can, and it is wise to slam the door on whoever may laugh at you behind your back.

Until that point, I had not taken ageism seriously. I had not believed that the number of years I have lived could damage my ability to write and consult for a living.

I still ghostwrite and edit books, and I remain damned good at it. I have never had a client reject my work, and in my experiences, there is wisdom.

Initially, I thought I would conclude this post with some sort of eloquent words of wisdom. Then I figured the real lesson I that you have to figure out these things for yourself. Many of your most potent lessons will come after the door closes behind you.