[KilgoreTrout]

Okay, made it through the thread.

"The back 9" to me signifies a milestone in my life. It's neither good nor bad, as I haven't even teed the ball up on number 10 yet, to continue with the analogy. In using the term, I'm recognizing that a part of my life is over, change is afoot, and I feel ready to embrace it. That's really what my OP was about.

The cliche that age is just a number has some truth in it, but birthdays are occasions to reflect and to readjust the ole perspective. That's what I've been working on. The Big Questions are interesting me now, not because I think I know all the answers, but because investigating them is an end in itself.

That just reminded me of a scene from Lost in Translation (random). The Scarlett Johannson character is visiting Kyoto and happens upon a pond in some garden. Stepping stones are laid out somewhat haphazardly across the water. She crosses the pond using the stones. Some are close together, but others require her to jump to reach them. They're not in a straight line. The journey across the pond is the point. The destination is less important.