I recently turned 50 years old. It doesn’t seem possible that I’m typing those words and yet, here we are. Although I keep myself in shape and my fondest memories are stuck somewhere in the late 90’s, my body is inevitably deteriorating over time. Is this a time for sadness? Hardly.
The alternative is obviously much worse. Rather than sulking and being upset about the prospect of writing a 5 next to my age, I asked my wife if we could have a party attended by friends and family to celebrate. We all face these things differently and this is the way that made the most sense to me. My wife has already said she prefers a weekend away (hopefully I’ll also be in attendance) rather than a large gathering. Either way, we’ll be commemorating the fact that we’re still here and many of those we’ve loved in our lives are not.
Life is a series of journeys. Many of them are happy, some of them are not. Although you hope to remember the pivotal moments in your life, the reality is, you’ll forget many of them. Having friends and loved ones around to remind you of them is not only important, it’s crucial in providing stability in keeping us on course. Sitting alone in a dark room may seem inviting at times but a hug and kind word will usually prove to be the better option.
Age brings the burden of knowing. Understanding that the world can be equal parts light and dark, beautiful and quite ugly at the same time. My 9 year old daughter is beginning to see this for herself. Fourth grade has proven to be a wake up call. Her experience with more homework coupled with what I would call “light bullying” at school have removed the veil of innocence that had been draped over her eyes. As much as we wish it didn’t have to be, it’s all part of growing up and maturing in an unforgiving society.
One of the main issues I’ve had in getting older is looking back at what I could have done in certain situations. Treating people with more kindness, making better decisions and being an all around nicer person are usually the things I land on most often. I assume this is normal.
We all make mistakes and unless you’re a nihilist, improving yourself is more than likely a lifetime goal. Accepting this and attempting to improve everyday rather than looking back to change a far removed past will not only keep you grounded, it will also help you avoid self inflicted insanity.
If you’re like me, you wake up in the morning and begin your routine. Perhaps you’ll get a workout in, have a cup of coffee or hop in the shower to wake up. Maybe you’ll do all three. Regardless, your day begins anew with a fresh set of priorities and a checklist of items to accomplish for the week. Viewing this checklist as a blessing rather than a burden will go a long way toward you achieving happiness.
Life takes effort. You may as well enjoy the work you put in and the days, weeks and years that pass rather than going through life wishing you’d had more time to lay around and do nothing. Doing nothing sounds great but take it from me, having zero purpose and constantly changing goals provides more stress than you think. Even someone who has more money than they can spend in a lifetime needs to have purpose.
As I run my hands through my once thick and now thinning hair, I’m thankful to have lived half a century in good health and relative happiness throughout. We all wish for more and I’m no different, but more doesn’t always mean better.
Unless we’re talking about anything chocolate related. In this case, more is definitely better.
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