My 46th Orbit Around the Sun

I turn 46 today. I’ve never been as happy to turn a new year since I was 25. I’m thrilled to be 46. As the years have gotten on and friends become inclined to say, “I don’t really care I just turned XX, I don’t want to be older.” I can almost always flip their passion, by suggesting to them what a pleasure and treat it has been to have ridden the Earth for another complete circumnavigation of the Sun.

Is there a better ride?

So now I, Ted Rheingold have gotten to experience 46 complete sun rotations. That’s 184 experienced seasons, and 16,801 earthy rotations on it’s axis. Something I’ll cover in a longer post is how important it’s been to me to live each day as the beginning of the rest of my life. The clear, but unexpected benefit is that now when I’m stuck close to home for the next long while, usually with low energy, I don’t feel like I’m missing out, or dreaming of how I’ll get thru my bucket list. I have no bucket list. Whenever I could, earlier in life, I tasted as much life as I could bite off. Socially, individually, geographically, intellectually, professionally, mentally, culturally, emotionally, spiritually, monogamously, paternally. (actually I could have bit off more academically, and I’ve always dreamed of going back to school to study botany). I can’t recommend enough living life today if you have the option (I know student loans and family requirements and other life realities can make this a a privileged not right, but I do know fancy car leases, nice apartments and happening restaurants, taste pale compared to actually living life).

Working with a village community group in Bangladesh a year after college. My org IDEX raised them $5k for milking cows and calves. This project was a bonafide success. Sadly a rarity in Bangladesh (though rarely unrelated to the communities’ effort effort, but to the corrupt systems.) Guess I should do a couple blog posts on my work in Bangladesh…

Taking a rental motorbike way off the rails at the ancient super volcano region (Danau Tuba) in Sumatra, 1999.

Caught up with my crew at Red Banks on Mt Shasta. Napped instead of lunched. Eventually summated (14,179′), Snowboarded down from 13k’ to 11k’. Did zero advance training.

Started my businesses, after not being able to work in cubes for others anymore. Ran my second business profitably for 18 quarters, because I wanted to make sure I never was forced to go back. That desk is a fence gate on it’s side mounted on a cocktail stand. The $500 dog suit was about biggest marketing expense for first 3 years.

Last year I came to the conclusion I had gotten through a complete half of a full life (by blithely guessing 90 years old as a normal lifespan yet one not too long for it to drag out uncomfortably). So by my previous whimsical definition I’ve now lived in both halves of my life. So I’m really happy to turn 46 today. I’m already halfway though my 16,802nd day, and I’ve buckled back up because I’m already off and hurtling at 18.5 miles/second on my 47th, 600,000,000 miles race around the sun. Hope you’re enjoying the ride too.

:)