The second is that sixty is a time in one’s life when you can look back and see with relative clarity things that you’ve done and will never do again. Some things you don’t want to do again and others you can’t because entropy has begun to take the upper hand. At exactly the same time, sixty is a time when you can look forward to a canvas of opportunity to make a difference and experience life with vigor and purpose. There’s a certain sense of urgency to live life to the fullest since the end is assuredly closer than the beginning.

You might be reading this as an early career professional, filled with the sense of invincibility that accompanies those initial two decades of your working life. I can directly attest that these years are gone in what seems like an instant. The ravages of time will catch up to you. If you allow these ravages to get the best of you—if you succumb to comfort—if you allow the recliner to wrap its appealing but selfish arms around you—”old age” will come sooner.

Living this new life with brand new shiny titanium hips comes at a cost. The cost is that certain movements are prohibited - especially twisting like a pretzel or creating an acute angle between the upper and lower body. There is a mindset shift that accompanies transformational biomechanical surgeries. I am a better version of myself, but I can no longer allow “I can do anything” hubris to get the best of me. There’s an extra layer of situational awareness that I’ve had to build over the last two years that forces me to slow down and think before I act. I view this newfound situational and spatial awareness as an asset and not a liability.