70?? Really?? How did that happen??

I am now well inside the age called “Tercera Edad” or the “Third Phase” in Spanish. When we hit 65, we started to receive the benefits of being older in Ecuador, such as paying half price for transportation, special short lines at the bank, people on the bus offering me their seat. 😊

I can easily remember thinking in my 30s that I would never survive to reach age 50. Today I realized that I had somehow raced past that mark and reached 70 — and still going at (almost) full speed and having the best time of my life… so far!

We decided to have a simple, low key celebration at one of our favorite local Cuenca restaurants, with a few of our friends in town whom we’ve known the longest.

When we got home, I discovered that Evelyn had gotten me a new sculpture (a fish for my sign – pisces) made out of recycled metal. I love the whimsical nature of this “scrap discovery” art, and this angler fish is now sitting proudly in our living room.

Some of our friends shared their “Burt stories,” making me wince at times. Lin Berke went one step further and wrote a limerick poem, which she read out at the dinner table. This is one I will treasure in my memories for a very long time!

Burt is a wanderer who feels
Best on boats, air and wheels
Though now he is seventy
There still will be plenty
Of time to walk from Bangkok to Lisle

The roads may be windey at times
And you may get covered with grime
And while paths may get muddy
Evelyn is your best buddy
And she can read you the signs

When your boots clog with grass, tar or gravel
And your trip plans seem to unravel
When the roads may get rough
You’ll be pretty buff
When you get to the end of your travels