20 Wishes for my 60th Birthday

I remember as a kid whenever my birthday rolled around family members would ask, “What do you want for your birthday?” I always had a long list.

This past week I turned 60. No one asked what I wanted for my birthday. I believe they were all too busy commiserating me for surviving into the sixth decade.

Hence I have put together my own birthday list. Twenty wishes, in fact. I would be happy to see just a few of them come true before I turn 70.

1. Fewer fences and more benches.

2. Less air-conditioning and more ceiling fans.

3. Less talk and more listening.

4. Fewer followers and more leaders.

5. Fewer traffic lights and more roundabouts.

6. Fewer tweets and more talks.

7. Less knowledge and more curiosity.

8. Fewer freeways and more country roads.

9. Fewer new stadiums and more new playgrounds.

10. Fewer prisons and more schools.

11. Fewer smartphones and more books.

12. Fewer billboards and more trees.

13. Fewer cars and more bicycles.

14. Shorter meetings and longer meals.

15. Fewer Starbucks and more Chick-fil-a’s.

16. Fewer emails and more thank you cards.

17. Fewer guns and more tennis rackets.

18. Less politcking and better governing.

19. Fewer cats and more dogs (sorry Pepper).

20. Less sadness and more happiness…

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