APRIL 5 - A short birthday reflection

   Well, today I start my 80th trip around the sun. Who knew? I certainly didn't spend any time thinking about what it would be like to reach this point. And maybe that is the point. If you spend too much time worrying about it, you will miss the more important things along the way. And believe me, there are certainly a myriad of things that are more important than worrying about what might happen. And anyway, what eventually does happen will always be the last thing you expect. 

   Sharon (who puts up with this craziness on a daily basis) is always asking me why I seem to add a year to my age all the time.  Lately I've been caught saying, "give me a break, I'm eighty years old" After all, I am, in fact, 79 today. But that's counting the number of years I have completed. Those years are in the past. I can reflect on them, and I do, but that's looking backward. If you go to a race that your friend is in and you sit down in the stands next to another friend, the first question you ask about your friend on the track is, "what lap is he on?" , not "how many laps has he finished?" You want to know whether he's still in the race, still running, still moving forward. Of course, if you know me at all, you know that I don't run anywhere! So in my case let's pretend the race is a walking race. and the question would be "is he still in the race, and what lap is he on?" By the way, I never cared much whether I was winning, just that I was still in the race. Well, today I'm here to tell you, I'm still in the race, moving forward, and looking to see what new delights and curiosities I'm going to encounter on my eightieth lap.

                                     

The fact that bits of me are not working quite as well as they used to is only of minor concern. The important bits are still doing their job. Don't ask me how I have been so lucky. The only explanation I can offer is that, thanks to my parents, I was never told that I couldn't do anything. The only advice I got was encouragement, with a side order of caution that I should be aware (and beware!) of my overly impetuous nature. Go ahead, but make sure you think it through first until you are sure it is really what you want. If so, go for it. The world is full of "I wish I had done that" people. Try to be a "Man, I'm glad I did that!" person. Believe me, when you get to my age, you will have plenty of time to look back and relish how much fun you had. Strange to think of Paul Anka at a time like this but here it is:

        "Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention"

   

   Hope you are all still running your race and having as much fun as we are!