When I was in my late teens and early twenties I was very self entered. I came first. I found it difficult to consider others and the stage of life they were in. As young guys we would look at the elderly and sometimes snicker. I wish those people could come back now and have a look at us.
In short young males think they are invincible and I had a lot of the invincible stuff.
But lately what's been making me think about things is most people passing away are younger than I am! I've just been starting to notice this happening. In today's obituaries, nine of the eleven were younger than I am. So I read into this that I am quite elderly. It also tells me that I have been very fortunate in life to survive and enjoy a good quality of life.
In between these two times I have had other watershed events that caused me to pause and think. My Mother died when she was 59. I can't deny that I thought she was fairly old. Now I look back and realize how young she was. For the longest time I wondered if I would ever be older than Mom...that is 59.
When I left home I had a two year old brother. Today that brother is 62. Wow! I left home 60 years ago at the tender age of 17.
Now I try and maintain some younger friends. One of them waved as he went around the corner tonight. It's important to have friends at all ages but that's a challenge. My birdwatching group has some people in their 50's. I have two very good neighbors who were former students.
I must admit that most of my friends are elderly. I have friends whose spouses have dementia. Both of them need support.
I also have to think ahead in a very realistic way. I have to prepare for some options. What are the living arrangement options? How can I get rid of all my treasures? What's still on my bucket list?
So 77 is great. I am still able to enjoy physical activity whether work or play. I can still contribute to the community and find satisfaction.
As always we take life one day at a time.
