I'm Turning 56 in 12 Days, What Have I Learned

just go down and disappear there. I am my curly hair, I look the same. Why did I picture of me up? Well, it's my birthday in twelve days as I'm releasing this, but if you're watching it later, it maybe sooner. My birthday is May tef just keeps think of it that way. I still recomition play records too, So there's another part of my past as I'm thinking about so because it's my birthday, I was get introspective. But I was on a show the other day and the guy asked me,

I actually was my own show. It was my own show, and the guest asked me a question about legacy and this life. It was like, what would you tell your younger self? And that was very interesting. I was like, what would I tell my younger self? And I would do about that for the last week or show since then. So I thought, I always share my thoughts with you. Guess what I do. My show is about what it's like to be fifty plus, you know, with fifty where life is a lot different. I know what I told him,

Like I say the same thing here. Getting older is twofold one. I don't mind getting older. I mean, I know more stuff. I've survived a lot of things. I have a lot under my belt. I had a good time, can't complain that much. I had a good time. Yeah, and a lot of bad times too, but I had I had some good I have some good memories. A lot of good people came through my life over the years. I've had some fun jobs, some fun experiences and unique experiences, out of this world experiences. I love it. So I

can look back and go, Okay, I love life. I mean, so getting older is like, I don't mind it so much. The flip side of getting older, the other side of it is there as you let go of a lot of things you thought were important, but then there are things that are important now that start to hit. Usually its health issues, but that's not always the case. You can have bad health when you're younger or anything and get better. But a lot of times it is health related,

parent related. May even take care of our parents orly looking after them. There's just there's this switch. It's like you start to see the other side. Okay, now I'm heading towards the end. We don't leave out of here, live kids, we don't we all die. Don't want to talk about it. I get it, but it's something that we have to talk about. I just feel so blessed that I made it to this age that I'm here

at fIF fifty six. I made it. And then now it's like, okay, it's now about what I do now for the add towards the end, because I don't do what NaN's gonna be. It could be tomorrow, it could be ten years, thirteen, twenty years. But I'm much more aware. I'm hyper aware of my age and what that means in social circles. In many certain certain areas, I'm completely invisible in social circles. In certain areas. Things you thought were okay you could do, you just can't wait do anymore.

It looks it's not it's not acceptable now it doesn't look good. On the flip side, I want to kind of fearless. I'm still fearless in many ways. I still try, and I'm trying all kinds of new stuff, even at this age is and I can appreciate it more. I'm I'm not rushing. I don't I don't miss certain things. I take my time with certain things. I don't rushing through certain things. So it's a real it's a real

mixed bag. I know I'll survive. I really feel I feel optimistic that I will make it to the end, to home stretch. Somehow, they don't think positive. There are a lot of things in the world going on. It's like it's like an but I feel like the basics, I'll be okay. I hope and I'm glad I've let go of a lot of stuff because I have friends who are younger who are going through something that I went through to I went through it also, so there's

no high horse or anything like that. But it's just like, oh, yeah, I was there. I don't know if that feels like I don't know if that feels like and I did a show. Once you see you know things are not happening to you, and that's why I learned too. Also, not said they're just all everybody said. Everybody is coming down on me. Everybody thinks it's like they don't things happen because you live life and things kind of you kind of walk through life, and if you do anything

has cause and effect. That's why I learned. Also, it can feel sometimes like what the what the beep is going on? The beat beat beat beat is going on here? You're like, Okay, I don't want for much anymore, Not really I don't. There's things I wanted, so I did all these things I wanted to come. There's things I want to do and things I want to conquer, but they're much smaller than they used to be. I mean, in good ways. We didn't think that it's still important stuff.

But like there are certain things I know the time is past already. There are just certain things that just work for as certain ages and for a reason. And there are other things that are ageless that I know I can try. I've been doing that since last since the late forties, I've been doing things and be like what I love everything that I do. So I'm very fortunate,

all my hobbies, everything, I'm very fortunate. I walk into my garden and there's times I just think, Wow, I'm so lucky to have this garden that I created eleven years eleven twelve years ago. It was not here I created. I created the garden. I'm creating the garden I've wanted that I envisioned it. It's really coming together, like it's a lot of it's coming together. I really wanted it. I work hard at it. In my house too. There's certain looks I wanted. I'm to my plant right here,

I got it. And there's certain things, I mean, things on my walls I wanted in the wall there on the wall. Like I have created a safe space for myself. And that's that's that's that's a that's a that's a long time coming. I have places i've lived where I did feel safe. Place I think I didn't feel safe going out partying on stuff. I'm done and I'm okay with that. Like I have no like I'm fine, Like I have I don't. I don't miss it. I had

a good time. It's a hold in time. It is now and that's a probably you have younger friends sometimes because they still want you to. They're still in it, which they should because they're younger, because it's for them. I don't don't miss that anymore, not at all. I don't need to go to every concert, every club, every bar. I don't need to do that anymore. I did all that for like forty years, and I don't feel like a you know, old funny daddy or nothing. I feel

like I just I did it. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good in the hood. I don't. I have other things and needs and wants that I want, and I know I could be fun. I have a good and I can have a good time and then once the blue moon and may go out and whatever. But I don't miss it. I just when I come home like I didn't miss that now I could have I didn't have to go out, you know, trying to my friends. I try to do stuff. But I'm like, I'm good my life right now. For me, it's about accomplishments. What

can I accomplish big and small? And I think, because I know I'm not going to live forever and I do feel my mortality, that I want to get them done. I got tons of tabs of light on my computer, folders over here, stuff. I got story with things I'm trying to accomplish and finish, which a very important to me. And I think that's what I want or anything else then just you know, the latest iPad or this, you know, I just get the latest iPhone is now. I need a phone. I need a new phone. I want to

keep my weight phone. I need new phone. Apple does that to you, right, But I just I for me, I want just too simple things. I want to bench for my for my yard I buy. I want more plants, you know, to plan a plant out there. I mean, just I have so much My things are just simpler. I just don't. I don't need all these trappings. I'm never gonna buy the expensive car. My house is worth something, thank god, but I'm never gonna get the huge mansion

or anything. I'm watching people grinding, like I make this much money and this much money and this one. When I see that, I'm like, I just want to make enough money to survive. Pay my people, survive byplants or whatever, take some trips. I don't. I just like the the grind for me is helping other people. The grind for me is getting projects and workout that I have something to say about or something to say. That's what I'll get out. Make some money. Great, I gotta make money.

You gotta make money live. Had a huge bill for this ratless roof. But that's kind of the but that's kind of just the byproduct. You have to have money to make money live. And I'm not just into this. I used to go, go, go go. Now I'm gonna go go go person in a sense. But more projects and what can I get done? And I love it. I have collaborators. I loved working with them and hear what they're doing and see what's going on and I

and I do, but I do value my time. Took a ball back the other day, felt great, went out to the beach to just hang out. Felt great. Like I'm learning that stuff too in my own backyard. I love exploring through Los Angeles, what's going on in LA. I enjoy it. I enjoyed that whole thing. And that's you know, my birthday's coming up, and I don't want a big birthday. I don't need a giant birthday and everybody there and I was I don't care about that. It's like give me a bunch of smaller birthdays where

I can actually talk to you, have meaningful conversation. And I was like, like, I have some longtime friends, but we're doing each other thirty years or longer. It's a long time. What'st of our adult lives. And there's like seven of us got together. It's perfect. We were we were in a back room and a place called sausage Factory in San Francisco. No one was there, just us,

and we had amazing talks for like several hours. We had wine and posta and laughed and talked and you know, and that was and to me, I'll never forget that because who knows when we'll all be together again. We're not guaranteed that at all. The last phone call. I've learned this very much of my life as I get older. It's one of the things you also get older, that last phone call would be the last phone call. And

that's just that's just kind of reality. That's reality for everybody saying when you get older, it's just a little different. I'm glad to be getting older. That's moral story. I had a lot of fun. So my advice an about who's younger. Try to have some fun. I know it's tough, it's hard out there, and I don't know whatever you consider fun do it. It goes by. I mean that's such a cliche thing to say, but it goes by so fast. I'm fifty six years old almost. It's like

maybe somebody will see it's obaus fey six already. Yeah. I don't get emotional all of a sudden, it's just it's it's try to have some fun, really, because there are times later in life, you know, I might might be able to. So I advise everyone how some laughs, have some fun. Please, I beg of you, because that's stuff you've got to live on when you're not laughing later. I'm James on Jor and to all the rest of you guys are in your fifteen fifty plus, I salute

you all. Birth my birthday, all my birthday twins out there salute you also. And to all of you, thank you very much. Talk to you next time.