Preface...I started and (mostly) finished this before the passing of my brother Joe. I have more thoughts on that (my brother's passing), which may get into another posting eventually. But for now, a few thoughts on the subject of getting older.
Yes, another year and I am officially older now. No sense throwing out statistics, but let’s just say I am old enough to be considered grown up, although I don’t always think of myself that way. My body sometimes takes offense to that second part, and routinely reminds me of such, but that sort of thing happens to all of us. Yes, age truly is the great equalizer. Body part showing signs of wear and tear duly noted, I have a lot to be thankful for as I jet past this life anniversary:
I have a wife who is my favorite non-cat and who tolerates my (many) idiosyncrasies.
I continue to have dual gifts of curiosity and persistency.
This is not to say that all is well and perfect, because it ain’t. As alluded to above, I need to take better care of myself physically, which I know is intrinsically linked to my own mental health. Speaking of mental health, I am also blessed that, in spite of many reasons to the contrary sometimes, I still wake up each day thinking about the things I want…and often have…to do, without it being overwhelming. In fact, I will say that getting older has been decidedly better for my mental health, as I often now days find myself asking “why should I even care about this?” frequently. This is a very good thing, by the way.
As a side note, if there is one self-help book everyone should read, it’s this one:
When I think about what has informed my outlook on things over the last few years, I have to acknowledge how important this book has been.
Back to being older.
Ms. Rivers asked me if I had any ruminations about starting the first full decade of my 60's. Well, here we go:
Whether we want to admit it or not, we never really escape our childhood
The older I get the more I find depth in simplicity
Comfort > Fashion
Life does not happen in a linear progression
Most dogs are better than most people...which is why I don't own a dog
This is Water should be required reading for everyone
Anger is the ultimate waste of time and energy
Ponder this: John Lennon was 25 years old when he wrote "Nowhere Man"; by that measure we are all abject failures
It's okay to have regrets; it's just not okay to live a life centered around them
The older I get the better I am at managing pain (of all kinds)
What most folks get wrong about Star Trek? The Enterprise is as much a character in the show as Kirk or Spock (which is what the newer movies get wrong)
Cats are necessary because they remind us that we are not the center of the universe...they are
You only truly miss a sibling when they pass away
The only people who say "I never use Algebra as an adult" are those who really didn't pay all that much attention in Algebra class
The older I get the more I am okay with not knowing everything...and that's a long list
The chorus in the song #9 Dream (“Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé”) doesn't mean anything...and yet it is perfect for the task; the lesson? Not everything has to mean something
The Great Gatsby still sucks
"Love makes your heart pound!", yeah, well often true love is the most calm thing you can feel
Smell the flowers
Anyone can sing or write or dance...it's just that not everyone can do one or all of those things well
There's nothing more stupid and pathetic than someone who mistakes cruelty for genius
My life has been fine without Brocolli
Don't buy cheap shoes
Do buy cheap tools...until you have the money to buy good ones
Truly smart people don't have to remind you of how smart (they think) they are
It's impossible to overrate the importance of smelling good
Being confident is far less important than seeming like you are confident
Playing a musical instrument is a super-power
Beavis > Butthead
There are only two kinds of pick-up trucks: Those for work and those for show; I don't trust people who owns one just for show
Someone's right to get high or drunk (or other such things) ends at the tip of their nose and does not extend to forcing me to involunintarily participate in their stupidity
Never, ever underestimate the importance of good dental hygiene
In business, the order is "ready-aim-fire" (not "ready-fire-aim")
There's really no such thing about chaos...there's a pattern to everything, as long as you have a large enough population and the time to analyze it all
A hot shower cures many ills
Plants remind us that there is a season for everything
It's perfectly okay to like Supertramp and Ramstein and Strauss
John Mellencamp is right: An honest man's pillow IS his peace of mind
Mission accomplished. Back to getting older.
There is work yet to be done.
I am inching towards retirement one of these years. Maybe sooner rather than later. We shall see. Part of what goes with this is the very real question of just what the heck would I do with myself when I do retire? I have thoughts, but I acknowledge that I need to think about this more over this next life cycle. Having things like that to think about is a good thing.
I also need to work on my people-ing skills. The odd part of this is the fact that I’m better at that sort of thing when I am being paid for it (a.k.a., at work) but pretty terrible at it otherwise. Part of me wonders if I have this notional human interaction bank that currently gets mostly drained at work, leaving not much left for my civilian life. It’s an interesting theory.
All of the above noted, it’s time to begin the next rotation around the sun.
More to come.
