While we’ve all heard the phrase “crossing the Rubicon”; what does it really mean, and why have I crossed it? Why would I write about it?
The phrase is a metaphor, which means to take an irrevocable step that commits one to a specific course. We’ve all done that in one way or another, sometimes with great results, other times, not so much. So, what caused me to reflect on crossing at this critical stage?
On my last birthday, I reached an age where I’m closer to the end of my life than to the beginning. When one reaches this point, the Rubicon shines brightly; crossing it is irrevocable.
I was in a meeting recently attended by 8 men, ranging in age from 67 to 89. It was a support group for medical issues, so it was natural that the conversation turned to our collective sense of mortality. No one in the group spent one-second pondering this when we were young; we all were going to live forever. Well, news flash to all: this isn’t going to happen.
In the year I was born, the projected average life expectancy for a male was 64.7 years. Clearly, I’ve made it past that, and at the age I am now, the average life expectancy is 10.0 more years. For me, knowing this is like listening to a blaring alarm. Crossing the Rubicon isn’t a bad thing; however, it does create immediate concerns about being on the other side.
Wow, I’d better get busy before the calendar turns to January 1, 2030.
Are we there yet? 