Find out how he feels about turning 60.
January’s a busy month for the Katie Couric Media community: There are a lot of Couric-Molner family birthdays in January, including Katie’s and John’s. (Katie’s is earlier in the month, and John’s is January 21st.) So a few days before the big milestone seemed like an ideal time to chat with John about how he feels about birthdays and aging…and honestly, we could all benefit from adopting his perspective.
He also shared some hilarious celebratory memories, how he’ll be marking his 60th, and why this birthday represents a major milestone in his relationship with Katie, too.
Katie Couric Media: How do you feel about aging?
John Molner: I feel incredibly grateful for my health, family, and friends. You can’t help but sort of look at 60 and say, “Wow, that number’s a little bit big,” you know? But I feel lucky, and my parents are in great health. I’m grateful for my brothers, Katie, Katie’s daughters, my kids, and my Katie Couric Media family. I have a lot of gratitude for what we have. Honestly, that’s the way I feel about it.
Just look at my parents: My dad Herb is my idol, and I’m not supposed to say his age, but let’s say he’s 31 years older than I am, and he’s amazing. He skis every day, we love going fly fishing together. He’s sharp as can be, he’s got more energy than I do. He’s incredibly vigorous to the point where people think he’s maybe 70.
I was talking to my mother the other day — she’ll be 87 this year and she’s also in great health, she’s active like my father — and she said, “Oh, my 60s were wonderful. It’s a fantastic decade.” And I said, “Well, that’s encouraging.” Once the kids were grown, she was able to pursue things that were really interesting to her, which was very liberating. So I have that to look forward to…Unless she was just trying to lull me into complacency, I don’t know. But that’s what she said.
Do you have big plans to celebrate your 60th?
We’re having a small party. We weren’t going to do anything, but a few months ago Katie said, “We really should.” We put together a small party and we’ll celebrate with some friends and family here in New York.
I was thinking back to the birthday parties I had as a kid — I think I had magicians at a number of those celebrations, and then I had other parties where somebody was playing the piano and singing. Ironically, at my 60th birthday party, we’re having somebody singing on the piano, and some really incredible illusionists — we’re taking the performances I remember as a kid to another level.
But it’s basically not all that different from the parties I had when I was seven. I guess there will be more alcohol, and hopefully less crying.
Did you do something big for your 50th?
I threw myself a party. I had just started dating Katie, we’d been together for maybe a year — which means we’ve now been together for over a decade, officially! Katie came, I had like maybe 50 or 60 friends at a restaurant in New York and there were some unbelievable, great toasts. Katie made a short but funny toast and we had a really nice time.
Have you received any birthday gifts yet?
I got an early birthday present from my brother David. He gave me an old 1970s Sergio Tacchini tennis warmup jacket. He wrote a nice note saying that I was somebody that he looked up to as a kid — I’m six years older than him — and that it was a brand he remembers me wearing in that era. So he found a vintage one and gave it to me along with a small Elvis Costello poster from the 70s. I loved Costello in the 1970s, and David came to like him after listening to my cassettes. He was passing along something that we shared — you know, bringing back memories from our childhood. I thought that was quite a nice gift.
For someone turning 60 who’s feeling intimidated by it or just bummed out, what would you say?
I’m in the school of, “It’s just a number.”
I’m more about embracing milestones and looking for opportunities to get together with friends and family — I’ll take just about any excuse. And turning 60 is as good as any excuse I can think of to get together, have a good time, and enjoy each other’s company.
I’ve always been someone who looks forward to things, so I look forward to the next chapter: the next year, and the next 10 years. I don’t get all that nostalgic, but it is pretty incredible how quickly time goes by. I think we gradually learn to appreciate that, and relish these occasions when we get to get together and have some fun.
Hey, I’m ready for the birthday. Bring it on. Until then, I’m going to enjoy the last few days of my 50s.
