Dear Grace,

It’s just after 5am on the day after my 60th birthday. I’m thinking of your experience of five years & a bit. I’m in my office, finished with sleep - ready to move on with the first day of the rest of my life.

I have no idea when you’ll read this - but maybe your grandchildren will find it long after we’re both gone.  Maybe they’ll be amused to discover what it was like for me to achieve the experience of 60 years?

It’s taken me a lot of effort to get here.  It took my mother a mighty effort to give birth to me, all those years ago. She was 24.  I was the first of her six children, two weeks overdue.

It would take too long to summarise the last 60 years.  It would chew up a lot of time to write that story now - so I’ll tell you a bit about the day I joined the club.  I became a member of an expanding number of people who live to greet this particular age - in other words, a lot more people are becoming 60 now.

Let me begin with the people I met on the internet on my birthday…  

I sorta cheated.  I began pubilicly engaging with others about my birthday the day before - on 11 October, I used Twitter to let people know I was about to have a 60th birthday. (Facebook already knew.) I said I was happy to receive birthday greetings - in other words, I decided I was going to make a fuss about it - rather than reach 60 under the radar.  

I thought "it’s been hard enough to reach this point in my life, I might as well celebrate it - might as well make a virtue of a necessity."

The truth is I was really pleased to have reached 60
- it gave me an opportunity to notice what a wonderful life it’s been. I’ve been so fortunate, even if I haven’t always felt fortunate or grateful for it.  I might as well admit I was an ungrateful child. Uncomfortable in my own skin a lot of the time.  I still don’t think I’ve said enough thank you’s to my parents, brothers, sisters, schoolmates, friends, work colleagues & wives.  Yesterday I set out to honour & enjoy the experience I’ve gained in the company of others. I decided "this is our day".

Would you be interested to know what it was like on the internet? What happened via Twitter & Facebook? The messages I received? They reveal a lot about how people are today  - not just how I am - how modern networking works…

So, for you & me - and the generations to come - here’s a record of who was in touch with me on my 60th birthday - on 12 October 2010 (in chronological order - Twitter first)

@financial_al (Allan Cuthbert)
@audioMysteryTym (Stefania Lintonbon)
@paraic  (Padraig Hegarty)
@DoMyBooks (Ralph Smith)
@eoinpmphoto (Eoin Mulligan)
@_sians (Sian Phillips)
@paulbrugger
@cliffhousehotel
@tnTeacherTim (Tim Nelligan)
@CorkGourmetGuy (Dave Ahern)
@queenofpots (Susan C)
@despod
@thinktank_ (Think-Tank Consulting))
@susan_lanigan
@CACMAaccountants (Carla Manning)
@umnumnum_cork (Margaret Smith)
@jonathanGrimes
@climatech (Alex Smith)
@BusinessTori (Tori Hawthorne)
@kencurtin
@wagonandtrail (Dina Jones)
@Nelligirl01 (Lisa Nelligan)
@OrlaLinihan
@BigAlphy (Alan Brophy)
@BarryDesignWeb
@eoghanol (Eoghan O’Leary)
@Primary Position (David)
@WildOrchard
@KJMurrayCEng (Kevin Murray)
@theBrandBuilder (Olivier Blanchard)
@maevemirza (Maeve Quill)
@Liamooo (Wills D - Dublin)
@H2Oconsult (Tony Cain)
@Donal_Cahalane
@gamgob (gammagoblin)
@raptureponies (Cait)
@esusWeb
@RogerOverall
@MarketingInCork
@renateMurphy
@profileIE
@MarkGHegarty
@Sundaytwist (Emma)
@CuriousMike (Michael Kane)
@doogarry (Mairead Quinn)
@dogfoodlady (Margaret Maguire)
@ConnorHughes
@Ali_Davies
@angelacork (Angela Buckley)
@ElaineRogers
@RedDave14 (Dave F O’Connell)
@MMaryMcKenna (Mary McKenna)
@IvanSantry
@SmarterEgg (Aodan Enright)
@Alan_Connolly
@onemustwork (John Carmody)
@wineAllianceMoz
@rhubarbsticks
@DanMorris63
@Cian_W
@Mdecogan (Micheál Cogan)
@AddsOS (Ann-Marie O’Sullivan)
@FreckledPast (Evin)
@DiarmuidCogan
@ItalianFoodie
@whhoganQuintas (William Hogan Cork)
@cotisgal (Carrie Stiers)
@CafeGusto
@emeraldquillnet (Emerald Quill)
@jwhelton (James Whelton)
@C103Colum (Colum McGrath)
@BlackrockCastle
@ChiroBen1 (Benjamin Martin)
@WriterCJ (Calvin Jones)
@sweetdreamsire (Darren Gale)
@UniSlimCork (Shirley)
@JL_Pagano 
@Colm_Ryan
@Grayzie (Grace)
@LiamGarvey
@SusanKilkenny (Susan Cullen)
@SiobhanCoyle
@onevision_ian (Ian Armstrong)
@destaic (Patrick Stack)
@fluffanella (Geraldine Daly)
@JohnAllanImages (John Allen)
@obrienbarry (Barry O’Brien)
@WestCorkHotel
@KeithMalone
@Whistlinpaddy (Steve Kelly)
@BetsyDraperFl (Betsy Draper)
@StevieGranger
@celav (Marcela Whelan)
@AlOliver (Alice-Anne Oliver)
@NoReinsGirl (Shazz)
@IvanODonoghue 
@Richard_illy (Richard Iveson)
@aquaasho (Aisling Coppinger)
@_SecretGarden_ (Brian Patterson)
@jimxcomet (Jim O’Mahony)
@PeterCoxPhoto (Peter Cox)
@fcollinsie (Fiona Collins)
@BernieQuinn
@GavinLyons
@SigmaWritings (Mihai Ionescu)
@bngr
@walkCork
@damianB (Damian Bannion)
@JeromeAoustin
@froodie
@micfitzgerald (Michael FitzGerald)
@Gwensonic (Henry Gwensonic)
@Eireball
@PatMcA (Pat McAuliffe)
@KathLeary (Kathleen Leary)
@MarkRock
@derryo (Derry O’Donnell)
@carreDenis (Denis Carre)

I’ll gather the list of Facebook Friends later… then those I met face2face on the day…