Head Tale

The average life expectancy for a Canadian male is currently 78 years.  That means as I turn 39 today, I have officially reached the half-way point of my expected life span on this planet (and accounting for abuses suffered in earlier years – from over-drinking to being exposed to god knows what working at a gas station and being around farm chemicals much of my life – who knows how much that may reduce that number.)

But on the other hand, medical science continues to extend life expectancies and that 78 is probably a lot higher than my dad would’ve been told he could expect to live to when he was 39 (or my grandfather or great-grandfather.)  Plus I’m from a very long-lived family – I think my one grandpa lived to 80 while my grandma lived to 97.  On the maternal side of the family, my other grandpa lived to 88 while his wife lived to 84.  (All numbers from memory so I may be off on some or all of them.)

Anyhow, happy birthday – for the next year, I get to be “39 and holding”!