It's my party and I'll cry if I want to.......nah

I have a big birthday coming up in July. I haven’t really thought much about it until lately. I guess it is another milestone in the rock garden of life. It seems that as I get older I recall more and more some of the events of my parent’s lives. I remember the depression my dad went through immediately following retirement. I remember how we thought he was crazy for acting like his life was over. I think he just started planning to die. He finally got out of that mood and started to actually enjoy himself but it really took some time. I find myself thinking about that more and more. I know that 60 is the new 40 etc. etc. but I’m still having a hard time understanding how I got here so fast! I know it is a waste of time to to worrying about just how much time you have left. If you do that you miss out on the time you have. But it must be normal to feel some stress as we enter a new phase of life. Especially as we leave a phase of life that has defined us for such a long time. Men have wrestled with it longer than women because they have identified themselves with their work and professional life. Women now feel some of the same feelings as more and more of us have had life long careers. I am looking forward to retirement but my work has been a major part of my life for a long time. I think that if I had grand children I might look at retirement through different eyes. I would be excited about spending more time with them. The fact that I don’t is a big reason why I intend to work as long as I am healthy enough to do so.