When we think back over the years, there were many events that made us the person we are today.
However, there are specific birthdays we all share and recognize as important for marking the passage of time and indicating the beginning of a new phase of life.
Turning 13, becoming a teenager, meant we were no longer a child.
Driving suggested we were becoming more responsible, so 16 was special - although the driving age varies according to states today.
And at 21 we had reached the age of the majority and were entitled to the rights that go with it.
Over years, the voting age has dropped to 18 and the drinking age has been raised in some states, but 21 was, and still is, a really important birthday; because we officially had become adults.
After 21, most milestones that follow are pretty much self-imposed until the age of 65.
There was 30 for those who had to be married by that age or have a child or reach a certain level of success in the workplace.
Others used 40 as a time to measure how life is going for them, such as owning a home and achieving specific financial goals.
Then, there's 50.
This was the time for those who didn't realized it before, that we began to accept the notion of getting older.
The kids were grown, we knew our standing at work and retirement planning was a necessity.
At 6o our perspective about what's important and what isn't changed dramatically.
We didn't think much about it, but this was a wake up call.
It dawned on us that more of life lay in the past than ahead of us.
Yet we looked 5 or more years younger than our age, felt like we were only 50 and thought like we were in our 40s.
What happened? Were we really this old? Was it the gray hair, the crow's feet or the waistline? Being 60 meant not getting ahead in business, having grandchildren or talking with our parents about moving into a retirement home.
These were indicators that things have changed.
Health issues, downsizing and retirement were no longer topics to ponder, they were matters that must be dealt with, and soon.
And, more was to come.
The next milestone is the last major date we share in common.
Historically, 65 has been the age of retirement.
Some retire earlier, because Social Security allows us to do so, and others opt to keep working because they need to or chose to continue earning an income.
Medicare kicks in a 65, which tells us something.
But, those of us who have made the transition know turning 65 is not the end of life.
It is the end of the mandatory way of living and the beginning of the rest of our lives.
We are free to explore new interests or take what we learned and apply this experience to other areas.
We can use the knowledge gained over the years to help others, to change things in our communities and beyond.
And, we can teach younger people members how to achieve their dreams.
This surely is the time to give back what was so freely given to us.