TIME FLIES WHETHER WE WANT IT TO OR NOT N

ot only do I celebrate four years of getting to share this health and wellness column with all of you this month, but this week, I turn 60! This is the first birthday that makes me take pause. I think the reality that two-thirds of my life is complete, given my parents’ longevity at 89 and 93, is eye-opening, to say the least.

While I am a generally healthy, exceptionally active human, I have still inherited heart disease risk and have a handful of my own medical issues/ailments, likely a combination of genetics, exposures, and just plain old time. That being said, I have a whole host of feelings that are occupying my mind during this monumental moment in my life.

We all know that the “day before” a tragic event occurs, or before receiving news of a life-altering diagnosis or of a death, our lives were somewhat “normal and routine.” But in one moment, our lives can be knocked off-kilter.

As for me, surviving a handful of these tremendous tragedies in life, and