The Last Good Decade? Carpe Diem

That’s an ominous headline, I’ll confess, but I don’t mean it as apocalyptic or doom and gloom. It’s a concept I’ve been thinking about quite a bit for the past several years. It plays out something like this: Imagine that you are in your last good decade. How would you live it? 

The possibilities are endless and dependent on what’s important to you. But essentially, it’s a call to action and a reminder to not put off what you want to do.

Because ours is a site about river cruising, it’s a safe assumption that many of us want to explore more of Europe (and other places that river cruises operate). So pretend you have only 10 years to do as much as you want to do. Where will you river cruise this year and next and the year after? 

Some of you may be at an age where you know with certainty that you’re in your last good decade – or maybe the “good” part has already  passed and you’re just coasting to the end.

For those of us who should have a few decades left, the goal is to keep them “good” by staying as healthy as we can. Of course, anything can happen, and our time can end early and unexpectedly. At 65, I am hoping for two more decades. Statistically I have a 66 percent chance of getting there, based on the latest mortality data from the Social Security Administration. If I don’t make it that long, well, I have lived much of my life living the last good decade over and again. That is to say I have done the things I wanted to do, and a big part of that was that I have traveled and experienced the beauty of this world – something I can never get enough of. 

Apparently, you can't get enough of it either. I’m barge cruising in April with several couples in their 70s and 80s. I’ve traveled with several of them before, and I can tell you this: Their passion for travel has not been diminished by their years. They may have challenges that they didn’t have when they were younger. Their mobility may not be what it was back then. But they do have the resources to fulfill their aspirations, and trust me, they are doing it with the enthusiasm and vigor of youth.

The great thing about living as if this were your last good decade is that you can always reset it. If you’re in your 70s and you make it to 80, begin your last good decade over again. One thing is for certain, at some point you will definitely be in your last good decade. My advice: Pretend it is now.

Article ID: ART5048

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