The next big question installment has to do with the inspirational effect of the number 60. This seems to be the year of rousing sleeping ambitions and shifting focus. Fred Koberna replied, “My 60th birthday present (to myself) is to hike the John Muir Trail from Yosemite to Mount Whitney. It’s 211 miles across 22 days through the amazing Sierra Nevada range. Not sure what I’ll do after this (but I know I won’t get agreement to be gone again for more than three weeks).” Lynn Gaudet reports on a healthy direction for all: “As Bob Gaudet and I turn 60 this year, one thing that we have certainly become more aware of is how very important it is to stay fit and healthy. Bob read Younger Next Year: Guide to Living Like 50 Until You’re 80 and Beyond. It focuses on necessary exercise to battle the changes in our metabolism; nutrition and diet for our systems; stimulation for our minds; and social and emotional needs as we enter what they call the final trimester of our lives. As I said, I’m not a fitness nut, but this book really makes you realize that this is one of the most important things that we can consider as we turn 60, and it is a very positive and hopeful read. Definitely looking at the glass half-full!”

Rebecca Brackett touched on an insightful concept: “I have decided to be proactive and clean house so that when I finally go, no one has to deal with a huge collection of my stuff.” Danielle Schanz is doing the golden transcontinental migration for all the right reasons: “Turning 60 is a big turning point for me. Last year I decided to leave my home of almost 60 years, New York City, and move to San Francisco. Why? To be closer to my kids. To shake things up. To challenge myself. To try something totally different and new. To feel alive. I also decided that as soon as I turned 60 I would quit my job as an attorney in the litigation group in the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority’s enforcement division, where I have been prosecuting disciplinary hearings against brokers and brokerage firms for 20 years. What I want to do will not involve confrontation and destruction. It will involve teaching and creation. It is time to embrace and love life.” And the number 60 is inspiring many of us to commingle for a while. Mitch Arion reports there were 11 Sigma Alpha Epsilon brothers who met up in Park City, Utah, for their biennial reunion. Among them were Brad Baldridge, Tom Kiernan, Ken Holmes, Jeff Steen, Hugo Ribot, Greg Smyers, Dave Kahler, Tim Costello, and Vic Pantin. We are each other’s blessing.

—Emil Miskovsky, 520 Seneca St., Suite 312, Utica, NY 13502; (802)345-9861; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Veronica Wessels, 224 Buena Vista Road, Rockcliffe, ON K1M0V7, Canada; (613) 864-4491; vcwessels@rogers.com