Sometimes you just can't help but feel lucky.
But in a lifetime of journalism, much of it spent reporting sport, you are fortunate to share some memorable times that mean so much to many people.
Sport, by its nature, is on the periphery of life's important considerations: family, career, community, country, but it is something that can lift people in all of the afore-mentioned categories, and more.
To be in a position to share your impressions of events happening on the sports fields of the world for an audience paying for their feelings to be supported or contested by your writing, is something that should never be taken for granted.
Everyone sees things differently, but sometimes there is a realisation that for once there would be a far higher percentage supporting your view than usual when describing greatness.
Such situations have occurred at various levels over the last 50 years. Watching All Blacks like Colin Meads, Brian Lochore, Ian Kirkpatrick, Graham Mourie, Bryan Williams, Bruce Robertson, Dave Loveridge, the various parts of the great Auckland machine of the late-1980s of which Michael Jones was the supreme example, Jonah Lomu and any number of others from that time, and more recently Beauden Barrett, Richie Mo'unga and Brodie Retallick, in rugby has been memorable.
Seeing Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe unleash their wares during the first great era of New Zealand cricket was also impressive.
A new era of players headed by probably the finest cricketer of them all Kane Williamson with such supporting characters as Tim Southee and Trent Boult have added to that perspective.
Then there are the yachtsmen headed by Peter Blake and Russell Coutts, and again, latterly, the young maestros in Peter Burling and Blair Tuke.
The list goes on across a variety of sports, but with Dan Carter's retirement comes the end, finally, of what has been the greatest era of All Blacks rugby featuring two of the greatest players ever to pull on their nation's jersey.
That Carter and Richie McCaw, his Canterbury, Crusaders and All Blacks team-mate, should emerge around the same time, playing for the same sides, only magnified the playing qualities they brought to their games.
There is a natural link in the mechanics of rugby between flankers and five-eighths. One, the ferreting forward so often setting the pace for his side in the acquisition of available ball, whether in support of his own players, or in securing untidy ball from opponents, provides the five-eighths with the chance to set the pace, and direction, of the game, hopefully with some time to make comfortable decisions.
Time was something that Carter enjoyed. He shared that quality with most, if not all, of those mentioned earlier. Some of that was down to the quality he brought to his role: the efficiency, effortlessness and balance, but much of it was due to the uniqueness his skills, solidity and sense of adventure brought to those teams he played with.
Being a New Zealander, Carter was always looking for the opportunity to run the ball – that's the Kiwi rugby ethos. But he could also play the defensive game, kicking for clearance, for position, while also putting in his effort in the tackling requirement.
Yes, he played for a team that gave him a better chance than most international players to show his wares, but at the same time he still needed to make the right choices to advantage his side. Invariably he achieved that.
It was the consistency of decision-making, of action and overall performance that marked Carter as the greatest player in his position of all time.
He shared with McCaw, a magnificent run between 2010-15 to play a leading role in the only successful defence of Rugby's World Cup. As their coach for the most part of that period Steve Hansen said so often, winning a World Cup is hard enough but winning consecutive World Cups is even harder. That was why it had never been achieved before 2015.
It was fitting in the extreme that the pair should exit the international game having achieved that feat, and for Carter it was especially fitting after some of the injuries he suffered that he should play such a commanding role in securing the second win through his thinking and execution of dropped goals in the semi final against South Africa and the final against Australia in 2015.
With their replacements carrying the All Blacks forward in the extension of their near decade-long ranking as the best team in the world to the end of 2019, it was truly the end of an era and one which will ensure both Carter and McCaw of their special place in New Zealand's rich rugby history.