Running through life’s cycles

Ben Jackson isn’t your average senior. The long-term Newport Beach

resident still goes into the office everyday as an attorney. He is

married with three children, one of whom attends Newport Harbor High

School. One thing that distinguishes this 65-year-old is that he

competes in triathlons. His latest participation was in the Kring &

Chung Newport Beach Triathlon. Jackson placed fourth in the age 65 to

69 category. The Pilot’s Luis Pena recently had a chat with the

athletic senior about his early memories.

Where did you grow up?

La Canada, which was at the time a very small community. It was

before the freeway was running through. It was really a remote

location in a way. We had a lot of smog and hot summers, and

everybody in town knew each other.

What kind of childhood did you have?

It was happy. My parents and my sister and I were a close family,

and I have happy recollections of my childhood.

How did you end up in Newport-Mesa?

I was practicing in the Pasadena area and was offered a job in

Newport Beach and came down. It was 1972. In business, I was looking

for a more dynamic place, a place with greater promise, opportunity.

I used to vacation in Balboa when I was 10 or 11. We’d come down for

a week on Balboa Island, and that was just wonderful. One of the

houses we stayed in was a very simple box structure. It was a good

two-hour drive. There were no freeways.

What are your greatest accomplishments in life?

My greatest accomplishment is having a wonderful family, as well

as having the relations I built up. It’s the people in your life that

count.

Being involved in the building of the Newport Beach Main Library

is an outstanding memory and accomplishment -- especially being a

small part of all that, which so many people in this community put

together.

If you could re-do one moment or incident in your life, what would

it be?

No, I can’t think of anything.

What profession other than yours would you like to have tried?

I would have liked to have been a writer or journalist, because

I’ve always admired the people who could communicate well through

writing in any context. I get a lot of enjoyment out of the art of

writing, particularly creative writing.

What are some differences between a typical day in your life now

versus a day in your life 20 or 30 years ago?

I would say that I’m much more relaxed and confident, that life’s

a wonderful dream. Things that appeared to be major concerns or

worries 20 years ago -- with the advantage of experience and age, you

realize that some of those things weren’t so critical, weren’t so

important. Life takes its course. Work has continued to become more

challenging. Twenty years ago, a lot of the things I did were

relatively simple and basic. And now they are relatively complex and

challenging.

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned in your life?

That every person has to really identify themselves, learn who

they are. They should be satisfied with themselves, as well as live a

moral and ethical life. Having moral and ethical spiritual values are

rewarding of in themselves.

What do you treasure most?

Just the family relationships, because family is permanent. There

is no substitute for family, whether that family be one person or 30

people. Family is family.

What was one of the best of the unexpected things that happened in

your life?

From a triathlon standpoint, the first one I was in I won my age

group having no idea what I was doing. Now that was a surprise.