Countdown (30)

Although it is the 1 July in Belgium. Technically, I still have an hour to finish the last in this series of posts in the run up to my sixtieth birthday. It is still 23:25 in the UK and since I was born in London I am claiming to still be 59 and several hours.

So there is still time to let you all in on a secret. I always wanted to live to the age of sixty. Until recently I never looked beyond that magic number. Perhaps it is why I have never seriously looked into what my retirement age will be.

It is also one of the reasons I finally sat down to write Old & UnWise – A Haphazard Collection of Poetry and Thought.

Now that there are only a few minutes before I cross that line I find it rather liberating.

I have always been vocal about my opinions on society. But I find that as I age, the fear of facing consequences for expressing my opinion becomes less significant. Mind you there were a few instances in my youth when I certainly didn’t think twice about taking action.

I still remember being chased by the driver of the Russian Ambassador after I decorated the Ambassador’s car with a red and white sticker proudly displaying the logo of the Solidarność movement (Solidarność or Solidarity was a Polish Trade Union based in Gdansk that opposed Soviet control of Poland). Fortunately I was a good runner and escaped his clutches.

I may be a little slower now. So if I had to do the same again, I would stand still, smile and face whatever I’d have coming to me. Running would probably be more painful 😀.

Fifteen minutes are left. I am still here. So it seems that I am going to make it to sixty. Thanks for being here. It is very kind of you.

As for what comes after sixty, I do have a few projects in mind. I intend to really work on my second book during summer. I also have a few poetry events where I will be performing in the UK and Belgium and maybe further afield.

I have a few ideas for short stories and might consider sharing them at some point in time.

Ten minutes left. Have I mentioned that Old & UnWise – A Haphazard Collection of Poetry and Thought is still available in print or as an ebook? It is quite a substantial collection featuring 172 poems.

I believe they call this a shameless plug 😀.

Five minutes. What can I say? Thanks for visiting my blog. Watch this space for more updates in my sixtieth year.

And while you are here please consider visiting the MSF website and giving them a donation. It is a charity that I support. I know that any donation is greatly appreciated no matter how small. It would make getting to sixty really worthwhile.

Let me leave you with something to ponder. It is one of the thoughts that can be found at random in the book… It is better to be late than to swallow a porcupine.

Steve

This blog is the last in a series of 30 leading up to my sixtieth birthday.  Please consider subscribing to my blog to keep up to date with future posts.

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