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This is a tough number – 55. 30 didn’t bother me at all; neither did 40, for that matter. 50? Can’t say I lost any sleep over that one, either. But 55? Yeesh.  Maybe because it represents a speed not to pass; could also be that it’s as close to 70 as it is to 40.  Rather than viewing the glass as half  – or in the case of a normal lifetime – two thirds full, figured I would do a little reading about some who accomplished great things with their lives after they hit 55. Well, looky here – not too shabby!

         George Bernard Shaw – Could not do this list without a writer and Shaw is one of our country’s greatest. He was 60 when he finished the classic “Heartbreak House”.

          Elizabeth Jolley – okay, just one more writer.   After more than 200 rejection letters, 39 in one year alone, she ultimately published 15 novels and countless short stories.

          Ronald Reagan – Believe it or not, Reagan was 55 when he was first elected to public office, as Governor of California. The absolute King of Presidential One Liners, including:

“The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

“Thomas Jefferson once said, ‘We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.’ And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying.”    

 “I never drink coffee at lunch. It keeps me awake in the afternoon.”

        Harland Sanders – Picture book American story.   Fired from about every job he ever had, failed in business, broke at 60. But, hold on just a sec – sold his first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise when he was 62.

Guess I’ll grab me a bucket and think about what to do before I hit 56.