When you hit your late 50’s can one still say “I am middle aged?” I am in all likelyhood now on the downward slide of life. I have at least lived more than half of my life. However, I still work, though the children are no longer at home, I as yet have no grandchildren. So perhaps lets stay with “I am middle aged.”
By birth and self identity I am male. I remain in a committed heterosexual relationship having been married to the same lovely woman for over 25 years. We have our ups and downs, as does any long term relationship, but we are adjusting to a life with grown up and flown from the roost children. One of the many things that drew us to each other is a plethora of shared interests, and now we are past the child rearing stage we are finding ways to enjoy those interests.
I am the father of three fabulous human beings. I consider myself very privileged to be a part of their coming into life, and have loved every second of raising them. The two older are my sons, the youngest my daughter. They are each unique in their own ways, but I have a secret pleasure in seeing parts of my own personality in every one. I hope it is my better characteristics… A parental relationship never stops, and I don’t know if the word “friend” can be used between a parent and child, but I have, and will always strive to maintain, a lovely open relationship with all three.
We are lucky to still live in the home we bought before children (indeed before marriage). It is an English country home, and a decent sized plot of land. We have poured literal blood sweat and tears into changing the house and the gardens, and it remains a comfortable place to live. If one that still needs further blood sweat and tears to maintain.
With a bit of luck, a dash of privilege and an ocean of hard work I have had a career that I can say I have enjoyed for the most part. I have moved through industries and brands, but always with a slant of managing technology and operations. As I love most working with people, I am humbled that I get told I am a good, transformative and nurturing boss. There is pride that out in the world there are 9 people that have worked for me in the past that now also hold board level positions. If it was one or two, it could have been a fluke, that many and I think I can say I’ve done something right. You will have almost certainly interacted with websites I managed the build of, or received service that I drove the design of.
That is me in short, work and family. There will be no Ozymandias statues built in my honour. I leave behind no great works of art or literature. I like to think I will be missed if I am not here, and will live on in the minds I leave behind. Can any of us hope for more?