Today is my 67th birthday and a big day for Portland area school kids, who returned to classes this morning. All throughout my 66th year I made many references to Route 66 as a personal theme for the year. Well, all good things must come to an end, as does Route 66 at the Santa Monica Pier. In thinking back, I’ve been able to establish a theme for the last four years, including Medicare at 62, Twenty-one for the third time for 63, the Beatles tune, “When I’m 64”, Social Security at 65, and last year’s nostalgic highway references. Coming up with a theme for 67 is a much more difficult task, as nothing comes directly to mind. Google searches have not been successful, as yet, since no songs, movies, athletes, or books have made the number memorable. There’s Buddy Arlington’s NASCAR, the Ottawa 67’s of the Ontario Hockey League, and Chicago’s song “Questions 67 and 68,” but nothing worth writing about.

In honor of the occasion, I decided to steal a page from New Year’s Eve and write some resolutions. So, break out the champagne, and bear with me until I come up with a better idea. 

67 Things to do before I’m 68 (with a few more for good measure)

  1. Tell my wife “I Love her” a million times (well maybe 114x a day is a bit excessive, but you get the point)
  2. Get my grandkids to Portland (maybe when the Cubs play the Mariners in Seattle)
  3. Buy a new tank-less water heater
  4. Take my wife to French Laundry in NAPA for dinner and then for a Wine Country weekend
  5. 10 days in Thailand
  6. Cubs vs. White Sox in Chicago
  7. Run and exercise everyday (celebrate 10 consecutive years at the end of December)
  8. Portland Indy Car race
  9. Write at least 25 new poems (plus 10 exclusively for my wife)
  10. Maintain daily blog (blog.johnstonwrites.com)
  11. Gift at least 10 Limoges boxes
  12. 50 Wednesday Date Nights
  13. Watch 50 movies
  14. 50 Sister calls on Mondays
  15. 40 Dinners cooked on Tuesdays (or at least one night a week when not traveling)
  16. Reunite with friends in Austin
  17. Meet at least 10 Banister relatives
  18. Read 50 books
  19. Go to Vancouver Gardens
  20. St. Louis for a baseball game
  21. Drink 52 bottles of Walleye Wine and help 4 times
  22. Go to Disneyworld with wife 
  23. Spring Training game in Arizona or Florida
  24. IU Basketball Game (tournament season please)
  25. Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame
  26. Las Vegas weekend to celebrate 18 years of marriage
  27. Buy some new casual shoes (to make my wife happy)
  28. Buy a second pair of running shoes (to make my feet happy)
  29. New rain suit for running
  30. Repair Solara and Lexus dents
  31. Visit a National Park (but don’t camp there)
  32. Get a BIG Network subscription (or change internet/cable providers)
  33. Go to a Ducks football game
  34. See 3 Oregon State baseball games
  35. Take the dogs to the coast at least 4 times
  36. Go 8 Broadway Shows (including NYC)
  37. Go to at least 5 major concerts
  38. Go to a Timbers game
  39. Go to a Trailblazers game
  40. Organize 50 Leadership Meetings
  41. Write a book
  42. Watch 20 new television series
  43. Buy some new eyeglasses
  44. Buy my wife a new ring
  45. Drink Diet Coke whenever possible
  46. Go kayaking
  47. Visit my sister and friends in Elkhart
  48. Ski at Steamboat
  49. At least 5 ski trips to Mt. Hood
  50. Visit Jessica Fletcher’s House
  51. Book Marriott Vacation Club trips for 2019 and 2010
  52. Travel to Hawaii
  53. Get together with friends in Indy
  54. Attend at least 7 baseball card shows and continue collecting
  55. Go to at least 5 antique shows to look for sports memorabilia
  56. Compliment my wife at least a million times (see item #1)
  57. Gift Angel Delicious Hand Cream four times a year
  58. San Diego for a baseball game
  59. Go to a Hops Game
  60. Attend a high school football game
  61. Go to my 50th High School Reunion
  62. Get the interior and ceilings of the house painted
  63. Get the windows washed (inside and out)
  64. See an NFL game
  65. Go to a high school basketball game
  66. Add another 1000 names to my Ancestry tree
  67. First class flight upgrade
  68. 4 Oregon Wine Country trips
  69. See Zanna four times
  70. Clean the house 30 times and hire some help
  71. 60 nights away from home
  72. Visit Bend

They are in no particular order, except for the most important – Item #1. They include the important things in life like spouses, family, friends, food & drink, travel, sports, music, domestic responsibilities, home, clothing, car, gift-giving, and entertainment. It starts tomorrow with window cleaning, Indy Car racing this weekend, and friends in town, followed by a trip to Austin next week for a wedding. I feel pretty confident that I can achieve most of this list of 67, but I added a few more, just in case. To describe my age, I do prefer the word “Vintage” as opposed to “Fossil.” Here’s to another great year of retirement!