It’s My Birthday…Yes, THAT One!

Today is my birthday and it’s kind of a big one. I usually try to ignore birthdays as much as the people around me will allow, but not this one. I’m Medicare eligible and the celebration began months ago with mailing after mailing reminding me that I was turning 65 this year.

When you’re turning 65, you’re required to sign up for Medicare within 90 days of your birthday…unless you wish to pay a fine.  And there’s a bit of a loophole in the rule if your birthday falls on the first of the month like mine does. If your birthday is on the 1^st, you’re eligible to begin your Medicare coverage one month sooner. I’m not making this up.

I was happy to begin a month sooner because we had been paying those lovely COBRA premiums since we moved from Texas to Indiana a year ago. No more COBRA but now we get Medicare premiums.

Did you think it was free? I did. Remember that old saying, There are no free lunches? I had no idea they charged for Medicare. I thought you only paid if you decided to get a supplement. Perhaps I should have attended one of the 86 invitations I received to go to a Medicare talk. If you receive one, make sure you go and learn about it so you aren’t shocked like I was to find out there is a monthly premium for Medicare.

In honor of my new “senior” status, I’m going to tell you about an important book I read five years ago when I turned 60. You knew I would get around to the topic of writing, didn’t you?  Remember, writers are also readers. The book I’m talking about is called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying by Bonnie Ware.

I’m not planning to die anytime soon but I do suddenly hear a clock ticking in my head telling me time is not an infinite resource.  I want you to know about those five common regrets whether you are 65 (or older) like me or are 35 and years away from Medicare premiums. Nobody wants to die having major regrets about their life.

The author, Bronnie Ware, was working as a caregiver for hospice patients. As she sat with her clients, they talked about their lives and many of them shared their regrets. Over the course of several years as she listened to person after person, she began hearing the same regrets repeated over and over again. The one she heard the most frequently and the one that caused the most frustration for people is #1 on the list. Here they are:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish I had let myself be happier.

Do any of these regrets resonate with you? The one that most resonates with me is #4. I wish I had stayed in better touch with my friends. When you move around in your life like I have, it becomes more challenging. That’s the one I’m going to focus on beginning on this my 65^th birthday…because I don’t want to have that regret at the end of my life.

I’m grateful to be here at age 65 still pursuing my dreams and spending time with the people who are important  to me. I hope to do more of that in the months and years to come!