Friday, October 17, 2008

Getting Older

The weather is finally cool again and one more time I have turned off the air conditioning and opened all the windows of my house. I love it when the weather conditions are moderate enough to have fresh air circulating in the house. It has been a good week but I am glad it's Friday. I look forward to a relaxing weekend. I'm sure most of you do as well.

Earlier this week I had a conversation with a friend who will soon turn 40 years old. When you start a new decade in your life it can be traumatic for some people. My oldest son turned 30 this year and he thinks that is old. My next decade begins with age 60. When I told my friend I will be 58 on my next birthday she said, "Boy, you are OLD"! She followed that remark with "But you act 25"! I'm pretty sure she was complimenting me. Age really is a state of mind. Certainly, all of our bodies age. I have the aches and pains appropriate for a man my age. However, on the inside we are as old as we want to be. I have known much younger people who are much older than me in their minds. Many of you have heard the joke that inside every old person is a young person wondering what the heck happened. I think I am a mature man, and when the occasion calls for it, I can "act my age". Of course, I think that having a granddaughter, my own children, and friends and co-workers who are younger than me, keeps me young. I think the desire to be young, at least in our mind, is a big part of why my generation still loves rock and roll even as we approach, and, in some cases, reach Medicare and Social Security age. The Rolling Stones, and many other musicians of my generation, are in their mid to upper 60's! The biggest challenge for me these days is to stay awake long enough to act young.

We are all born to do something and it doesn't always make sense. For some, the call is mysterious and can't always be understood with a worldly mind. My own life path has not always made sense to me. It still doesn't sometimes. It is only in retrospect that I can understand the significance of some choices and other "accidents" of my life. Somehow I think we all end up being where we are supposed to be and doing what we are supposed to be doing. Life is like a river and it is always moving along. Although it might feel like it, we are really never in the same place for long. The scenery of your life is changing even when you don't realize it. You are always moving forward even when you seem to be standing still. When you least expect it, you suddenly realize you are in a different space. Most of my life I never saw coming. As ordinary as it sometimes seems, I could never have predicted some of the experiences along the way. All of our lives are a mystery that only we can unravel. Enjoy the mystery and flow of your life. Before it's over, you will hopefully enjoy where it has taken you.

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