It seems a bit improbable that I have survived this long. I have entered my fiftieth orbit around the big scare ball (AKA the sun) and there appears to be no turning back. In 365 days I will have lived upon this great rock for half of a century. I don’t feel 49, but that is what my birth certificate and the calendar say.I learn more with each passing day, but still have only acquired a fraction of the knowledge that I wish to posses. I am on the backside of my life and although I will never learn everything that I want to know, I am content with the life that I have lived, thus far.While others have slaved away at back-breaking jobs they hate, I have (mostly) been my own boss. I have worked at things that have brought me joy and paid the bills most of the time. I have made stupid money, and I have barely scraped by, but through every moment I have been pleased with myself because I am doing things my way, under my own terms. I am free.