I was at a business meeting yesterday and I happened to sit down next to an older gentleman who during our introduction told me he had been retired for some years from the aerospace industry.  Although we were there for a meeting about a mutual concern, he began to tell me about his life prior to going into aerospace, as he was a Veteran who had flown airplanes for the Air Force for twenty years, prior to entering the world of civilian work.  I was immediately captivated by his energy and how he was continuing to work, volunteer and consult with various organizations.  I did not ask him his age, however, he must have been in his late seventies or early eighties.  I asked him about his time in the military and flying airplanes.  He told me that he spent a lot of time in Viet Nam and he flew a myriad of different aircraft.  Poignantly he stopped at that point to let me know that this was why he was still sought after in the aerospace industry.  It was his knowledge of over fifty years  of being in the industry that he knew was the reason these companies still sought him out.  I briefly mentioned the word retirement and his eyes lit up as he promptly told me that he did not like when people are working and constantly talking about their future retirement or what they will do once they leave their current job.  To him, those individuals are not working to their fullest potential, because they do not like what they are doing.  Also, he did not think that one could ever fully retire from anything.  According to his philosophy, one has to continuously be engaged in something, that makes their mind work and to feel vibrant about their own life.  For me, this gentleman was describing and illustrating what passion looks like. In my somewhat short conversation, I felt the energy of someone that had lived a lifetime,yet, was certainly no where near finished in being or making a contribution.  I love meeting people like him, as it provides me with a great example of what is yet to come, if I am fortunate to live to be his age.  We should all be so lucky to have people like this individual that can provide us with a living example of how one can age gracefully, while their level of contributions continue well beyond the ending of a defined career.  To think that you can have many careers in variations that will continue to elicit your best forward thinking, was refreshing and noteworthy for me.  As we exchanged business cards and parted ways, I took a lot away with me that went far beyond the original purpose of my business meeting.  Today I was reminded to not talk about what I will do in the future, with a future passion perspective.  Our passion for what we do must be part of our present, in order for us to be able to reach our maximum capacity.  We should all remember to continue to plant those seeds daily that will yield a fruitful harvest in the next season of life.