Well, I have a very easy birthday to remember - 4/4/44 - which means I reached age 80 this past Thursday. I've taken a few minutes to reflect back on the first eighty years. Here are some random observations:
(1) As the saying goes, "death comes every day to someone, someday to everyone." I checked my USAFA class website - we graduated 613 guys, 130 have passed on. That's 21%. Early on deaths were due to combat losses and aircraft accidents, with some health causes (heart attacks, cancer) scattered in. Now we're getting into age-related causes as we get older. Makes me wonder why one passes on and another doesn't.
(2) Maintaining your health is an ongoing need. Being active is important. I can no longer do the activities I enjoyed as a younger man - jogging, weight training, squash - and I've learned to switch to low-impact activities. I have a Bowflex for lighter resistance training and an elliptical for cardiac health (much easier on the knees than running). And I'm still able to play golf a couple times a week - although 250-yard drives are now memories.
(3) Keeping your mind active is also critical. I play Duplicate bridge on a regular basis - bridge really requires you to think - and remember cards as they are played. I also do the crossword and the Sudoko from the Dallas Morning News every day.
(4) The grandiose dreams I had at age 25 got replaced by reality along the way. I wonder - looking back at some points where I had to make a choice - what would have happened if I had taken the other alternative? Guess I'll never know - but I've learned to accept the life I've lived so far.
(5) The biggest blessings in life come from people, not things. I have a wonderful wife (of 55 years and counting), three sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren - those are the real blessings. Raising three sons came with a lot of challenges, and being Dad required teaching them a lot of life lessons (things they could never learn in a schoolbook). And I'm still learning - being Dad to an adult son presents a role you have to grow into. As for the "things" I've accumulated along the way - cars, furniture, power tools, golf clubs, and so on - when I'm gone, I don't get to take them with me. They're mine to use and enjoy for a while.
(6) I'm a Christian, and I'm still trying to learn to rely on God more every day - not an easy thing to do. But faith in God's direction is a very comforting thing. He is perfect - and I'm a very long way from perfect. I'm trying to learn to enjoy each day the He gives me - with the challenges as well as the joys.
I'm looking forward to having another birthday next April - age 81, if God is gracious to give me that blessing. As the saying goes - having birthdays must be a very healthy thing, since people who have more birthdays tend to live longer!
(1) As the saying goes, "death comes every day to someone, someday to everyone." I checked my USAFA class website - we graduated 613 guys, 130 have passed on. That's 21%. Early on deaths were due to combat losses and aircraft accidents, with some health causes (heart attacks, cancer) scattered in. Now we're getting into age-related causes as we get older. Makes me wonder why one passes on and another doesn't.
(2) Maintaining your health is an ongoing need. Being active is important. I can no longer do the activities I enjoyed as a younger man - jogging, weight training, squash - and I've learned to switch to low-impact activities. I have a Bowflex for lighter resistance training and an elliptical for cardiac health (much easier on the knees than running). And I'm still able to play golf a couple times a week - although 250-yard drives are now memories.
(3) Keeping your mind active is also critical. I play Duplicate bridge on a regular basis - bridge really requires you to think - and remember cards as they are played. I also do the crossword and the Sudoko from the Dallas Morning News every day.
(4) The grandiose dreams I had at age 25 got replaced by reality along the way. I wonder - looking back at some points where I had to make a choice - what would have happened if I had taken the other alternative? Guess I'll never know - but I've learned to accept the life I've lived so far.
(5) The biggest blessings in life come from people, not things. I have a wonderful wife (of 55 years and counting), three sons, two daughters-in-law, and three grandchildren - those are the real blessings. Raising three sons came with a lot of challenges, and being Dad required teaching them a lot of life lessons (things they could never learn in a schoolbook). And I'm still learning - being Dad to an adult son presents a role you have to grow into. As for the "things" I've accumulated along the way - cars, furniture, power tools, golf clubs, and so on - when I'm gone, I don't get to take them with me. They're mine to use and enjoy for a while.
(6) I'm a Christian, and I'm still trying to learn to rely on God more every day - not an easy thing to do. But faith in God's direction is a very comforting thing. He is perfect - and I'm a very long way from perfect. I'm trying to learn to enjoy each day the He gives me - with the challenges as well as the joys.
I'm looking forward to having another birthday next April - age 81, if God is gracious to give me that blessing. As the saying goes - having birthdays must be a very healthy thing, since people who have more birthdays tend to live longer!
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