For some, or perhaps many of the people in our circles, half of their lives (or more) is now gone – unless they live to be 100 years old. As we say in my country, “chuta o pau da barraca” because it’s NEVER TOO EARLY to do so. I have yet to find an English expression that translates it perfectly. “I prefer to let it loose, and just go bananas …” Well, not really a good translation and I am open for suggestions.

The idea includes different things, such as I no longer care about how much I spend on a nice dinner, or if I have already  dined out three times in the same week. If I don’t spend on something I enjoy I lose the savings in the stock market or with something silly anyway. While most people older than me are just starting to worry about their retirement I am focusing on ending my brief stint on Earth with no more than $25 in my bank account… A friend put it better: your last check should bounce. However, I find there’s no fun buying the newest release of some fancy gadget, or a new car. I realize that I can’t buy true experiences and emotions… They’re not for sale. Okay, you can travel, attend the famous tournaments of your favorite sport, follow your favorite pop star. But I am talking about true experiences and emotions, when you have the guts or the cojones to follow your heart, when you don’t care about the consequences and pursue that emotion so intense that it hurts… and the pain is almost physical, if not excruciating. These experiences can’t be conquered, created, or ordered on Amazon. They just cross your path, by pure chance. It happens to a very few lucky ones. If it falls in your lap, grab it! Even if you can’t keep it, taste it, live it! Those are the kind of experiences you will remember when you are 100 years old, and will make you feel you have lived a life worth living.

Just one of the things I think about these days…