Whatever you have been thinking about doing, do it
now. These words are something I never thought
would come from my pen. For instance, I would
have joined the “procrastinator’s club,” but I never
got around to it. My philosophy was always to never
do today what I could put off until tomorrow. I learned that I could
totally avoid doing many things if I just put them off long enough. For
most of my life, I seemed to be doing as much as any three normal
people, so I believed that whatever I wasn’t doing probably wasn’t
that important. After all, I was doing what I considered to be the most
important things first, like making money. Next on my list of must
do’s was having fun, and I felt that nothing was more fun than making
money.
You may wonder why suddenly my entire view on life has changed.
Well, guess what? I’ve certainly wondered. I couldn’t understand at first
when I stopped looking at the bottom line of a row of numbers, since I
formerly found those numbers to be more interesting than a beautiful
sunset. So why now was I changing my tune? The more I thought about
it, the less I understood my new view on life. Then suddenly it hit me.
I’m not just getting old, I am old. I lose friends every week. I look in the
mirror and see my father. Strangest of all, I don’t think about sex all the
time. At first I thought that I had finally realized that I had all the toys I
wanted and that I no longer worried about not having enough money,
whatever that amount is.
But, then suddenly, it occurred to me that I no longer had a bucket list.
More important to me than the things I thought I wanted to do, I had
grown a great appreciation for the very simple things in life. In my case
that is a chocolate malt, watching an old movie on Netflix so I don’t have
to see commercials, and having my arms around my wife Margaret (not
that she is a simple thing). Sure, I still love to go out for a great meal with
friends, attend a show, or dance to the Oldies. But, not like in the past.
Perhaps, I’m jaded. I no longer need to see it all, dine on the latest foods,
or see the newest musicals or hottest entertainers. I just want to relax and
give thanks for the blessed life I’ve had. It is not that I’m tired; it is more
that what I want has changed. So, I guess it is true that the older we get,
the smarter we get. After all, there has to be some benefit to aging.
So slow down and look more carefully at what really makes you
happy; and start doing it now. All we have left is the rest of our lives.
Shouldn’t we make those last years, no matter how many they may be,
the best we have ever had? Let’s take the time to watch the sun as it sets
on the horizon. We may get to see the green flash yet.
I’m not myself today and everybody has noticed the improvement 67