60th Birthday Celebration Dinner in Osaka

Why is the time spent surrounded by friends so fleeting and so much fun?

Today, I would like to write about that wonderful time.

My friends held a dinner party for us. There were two guests of honor. One was a friend who, after turning 50, graduated from university for the second time and successfully passed the national examination. The other was me, who turned 60 this year.

The Starting Line of a Second Life

Thanks to everyone, I have safely reached the age of 60. I was born in the year of the Hinoe-uma (Fire Horse).

The term 'Kanreki' (60th birthday) comes from the fact that the sexagenary cycle completes in 60 years and returns to the zodiac sign of one's birth. In the past, it likely had a strong meaning of celebrating longevity, but the nuance is a bit different today, isn't it?

In an era where we talk about a 100-year lifespan, I believe that the age of 60 is not the twilight of life, but a second starting line for living the rest of one's life in one's own way.

I personally retired from my corporate job at 56 and started my second life a little early. I am truly happy and grateful that I was able to reach my 60th birthday in good health.

The 'Now' of Stimulating Friends

Eleven friends, including a four-year-old child, gathered for this dinner party. Although we are members who meet regularly, sharing our recent news again made it a day where I was greatly stimulated by the drive of each person as they walk their own path in life.

For example, there is a senior gentleman who is 75 years old, in the latter stage of elderly care. He lives in two locations, Tokyo and Kyoto, and his level of activity makes it impossible to think of him in terms of the average healthy life expectancy. He controls his own life by his own will. Seeing how radiant someone who lives proactively can be, he is a wonderful role model for my future life.

And then, the other guest of honor today. The sight of him striving toward his dream after turning 50 and successfully obtaining a national qualification taught me the nobility of continuing to pursue dreams no matter how old you are.

Furthermore, there is a man who fulfilled his duties as a leader in China for many years, retired this year, and has started a new business he wanted to do. Seeing his attitude of moving toward the future—launching a website and getting his business off the ground—he was truly radiant as well.

What shall we play today?

Now, how do I live compared to such shining friends? Rather than striving toward some goal, I spend my days with the feeling of 'just enjoying the present.'

And recently, I have become confident that this is okay.

I have already done enough striving toward future goals and working hard to achieve what I wanted to do by the time I turned 60. That is precisely why I have decided to spend the rest of my life doing only what is fun today, and I am actually doing so.

I have broken away from a life of comparing myself to others, and I spend my time doing only what I like with the spirit of 'knowing what is enough.' I feel this is the biggest secret to being stress-free and maintaining my health.

If I were to imagine it, I am like an elementary school boy who plays doing only what he likes every day. Elementary school boys have no regrets about yesterday and no anxiety about the future, right? They only think about what to play today. I think my second life can surely be like that.

Wait, is it already this time!

The dinner party was held at Grand Front Osaka. A friend who had pushed a stroller all the way from Nagoya to join us was so absorbed in our conversation that she ended up missing the last Shinkansen train.

"Oh no, is it that late already!"

None of us were looking at our phones or even glancing at the clock. We were so lost in the moment and immersed in our conversation that time just flew by. It was an incredibly rich and happy space to be in.

I received a call from the Nagoya mom who had left the venue earlier and was on her way home.

"Mako-san, I missed the last Shinkansen... could you tell me a hotel in Shin-Osaka?"

While I teased her for being silly, I truly feel like the luckiest person to be able to enjoy a delicious meal surrounded by such friends.

She told me, "If I take the first Shinkansen in the morning, I'll make it in time for kindergarten!" She sounded just like a businessperson rushing to an early morning meeting, finding joy even in the midst of a mishap.

My 60s have started off blessed with such wonderful friends. From here on out, I intend to live without regrets or anxiety, and to live life as if I'm playing to my heart's content.