Sitting here on a Saturday, I am surprised and somewhat bewildered to realize that July 2024 is almost completely done and near the very end, I will turn 76. I knew that if I lived long enough, I would eventually be 76, but I have to be blunt here: I never really believed it. Call me naive, call me proficiently unaware, call me whatever (I have probably heard it before), but age is a curious thing to my mind. I do realize that it is totally natural, but why did I never figure out that everything in my life would change? And how the heck did 76 years manage to pass so quickly?
Am I still the same person I was at 20? Well, probably except for the facial skin that is sagging, the rather disturbing flesh thing that swings from my upper arm if I lift my arm or attempt to wave, or my hands where the veins are so prominent, I wonder if at some point they will just up and explode. Yep, my body has definitely changed in the course of this aging process. I can live with most of the alterations with only a modicum of concern, but what causes me the most dismay is that I do believe that my body has somehow betrayed me.
Doctor appointments have become a regular part of my schedule. I take a couple of meds that I distinctly remember as being for “the elderly.” Also, I have been informed, in only the kindest of ways, that my hearing may need some attention. It takes about 20-25 steps when I get out of a chair or a car for my hips and knees to function with any efficiency. I no longer like to fly, drive at night, be in large groups, go to a movie theater, wait in lines, get stuck in traffic, hear some of the bull excrement that floods the TV almost constantly, and I find that I suffer from having a noticeably less amount of patience with other humans. Dogs are fine, it’s humans that cause the problem for me.
I do not want to concentrate on only my ailments and mental decline, so I recently rediscovered some wonderful words of observation and life written by a 90 year old woman from Cleveland, Ohio. I am going to share some of them with you; take what may hold some meaning to you and leave the rest behind.
1; Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your spouse, parents, and friends will. Stay in touch.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6, You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.
8. It’s ok to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present. (This one smacked me squarely in the face.)
12. Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
13. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
14. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful.
15. Whatever doesn’t kill you, really does make you stronger.
16. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
17. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.
18. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
19. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
20. The most important sex organ is the brain.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
22. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: in five years, will this matter?”
23. Always choose life.
24. Forgiveness: give it to others; accept it when it is given to you. And forgive yourself.
25. What other people think of you is none of your business.
26. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
27. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
28. Believe in miracles.
29. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it right now.
30. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved and were loved.
31. Get outside every day. Life is waiting everywhere.
32. Life isn’t tied up with a bow, but it’s still a gift.
33. Happiness is a choice not a result. It does not come to you. It can only come from you.
It all sounds so incredibly sensible and logical when enumerated and written by someone else. But nowhere does anyone who has lived more than 8 years, say it is easy. Am I wrong?
Here’s the thing: This moment is the only one we are assured of having. When you think about doing something, ask yourself if it is worth a day of your life, because that is what it costs. We will never get the opportunity to relive that day or any other one. Each day is the most valuable thing we have. Life is a virtual cornucopia of irony. Perhaps one of the most meaningful for me is this… when I know who or what I am willing to die for, then I know exactly what I live for. Deal with that particular life-irony in whatever way works for you, and I wish you well always and in all ways.
bkreigh@adamswells.com
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Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of articles and opinions written by a group of retired and current teachers — Ken Ballinger, Billy Kreigh, Kathy Schwartz, and Anna Spalding. Their intent is to spur discussions at the dinner table and elsewhere. You may also voice your thoughts and reactions via The News-Banner’s letters to editor.
