I am writing this in August 2026. Just about a month ago I turned 73. From an early age through the whole of my life, all I knew was that when I entered my 70s, by all measures  I would be considered “old.” However, since I retired 7 years ago,  being in my 70s has taken on new meaning. As some of you may know, I did not choose to retire seven years ago; I was forced to. The university was struggling with financial issues, and I and the Urban Studies Department, of which I was a part, was no longer deemed to be an asset, but a cost that could be eliminated. So being retired came sooner than I thought it would. And it was not my choice at the time; I was forced into retirement.

Shortly after becoming officially “retired,” I came across an essay by M. Scott Peck, the author-psychologist best known for his book The Road Less Traveled. In the essay Peck stresses that even in the senior stages of our lives we have much we can still learn. He also suggested that instead of bemoaning our advancing years, we ought to consider the aging process to be an ongoing adventure.

I was inspired by the idea and have tried to live my life in widening and adventurous ways. Like all adventures, ageing comes with a lot of challenges – physically, mentally, emotionally, and relationally. Adventures can introduce new tasks, opportunities, and tests we have not faced before. Adventures can be enjoyable and fun, but they also can confront us with loss, struggle, and loneliness. Often ageing requires us to develop new skills and ideas about ourselves and the world; they don’t just land on our doorstep.

Over the last seven years, I have tried taking the idea of ageing as an adventure to heart. During COVID, I went back to school and earned a Graduate certificate in Restorative Justice. I taught courses at other universities. I picked up my old tennis racket and took group lessons. Cynthia and I travelled to Portugal, Sedona (AZ), and San Francisco ( a city neither of us had visited) and have more trips planned for the future. This past Spring we began a new project: a native plant garden completely filled with plants that originated in this area of the world and nation where I live in Pennsylvania. It has required a lot of learning and is hard work, but it is also fun.

Some adventures were not so enjoyable, nor were they on my wish list.  In August 2022, I woke up in the middle of the night, and my head felt like it was on fire. For over a year, I had what seemed to be an autoimmune disorder that none of the 7-8 specialists I visited could diagnose or offer any advice or help. In the end, it was NyQuil and DayQuil that helped me through. Then in 2023, shortly after my 70^th birthday. I was involved in a head-on collision, as the other car drifted into my lane, and both of us were rushed to the hospital.  My car was totaled, but remarkably, while I had a lot of bumps and bruises, I  had no broken bones or damaged organs, just several months of recovery. Then, as I was beginning to feel more spry, in 2024 I came down with a bad case of gout, a form of arthritis that attacks the joints in the hands, knees, and feet. I began working with a rheumatologist and neurologist who helped me with medication and physical therapy that got back on my feet.  So, here I am at 73, a little slower and weaker than I was five years ago, but still active. And still adventurous.

However, this year of my 73^rd birthday, the adventure has taken a difficult turn. In the past 5-6 months, several people whom I knew and deeply cared about have died. Two friends lost their spouses, a good friend watched his younger sister die, two other friends put their parents to rest, and a colleague I love and admire committed suicide. Not only that, but the scandal, fraud, and lack of accountability of our national leaders have placed this country and other nations in a very fragile and precarious position. Thousands of migrants have been arrested, imprisoned, and deported. The president has engaged us in a meaningless war against Iran with no clear end in sight. Communities all over the world are being afflicted with destructive weather patterns which are the result of global warming. I could say much more.

 I am glad to be alive, active, and alert, but the adventure of getting older has introduced new challenges I cannot escape and opportunities I cannot ignore. The reality is that whenever this adventure ends, it will end in death. That is unavoidable. So I start each day telling myself to live one day at a time and to focus on “what is” on that day. It helps make the next day something to explore and look forward to, no matter what the set of circumstances that brought me to that point.

A while back, a man in his late 30s asked what it felt like to be getting older. It was an earnest question. I responded: It is an adventure. What has come and gone and has left some bruises and traumas I cannot ignore. I carry that pain and regret wherever I go. Yet at the same time, I choose to focus on what is yet to come and regard it as the next adventure in a life of surprises.

Source: M. Scott Peck (1987). “Learning as Adventure.” The Road Less Traveled and Beyond. New York: Simon and Schuster, 121-129.