My birthday is right around the corner. I am going to be eighty years old. The big 8-0. Eighty. Yes, eighty. If it sounds like that fact confounds me, you would be correct. How in the world did I become “elderly?’ It must have happened while I was sleeping, because I certainly would have put the brakes on if my eyes were wide open.
I have a January birthday, but ever since I hit the Social Security stage, (another steppingstone on the way to “getting up there in years”), I began a mental preparation every August. Thus, I’m almost eighty, has been my mantra for the past several months. By reminding myself in advance, I have never been taken by surprise that I have become a year older.
I’m finding, however, that turning eighty is a completely different story. While I have tried to prepare myself for this pivotal birthday, it appears to be all in vain. Becoming eighty is unnerving, daunting, and fraught with uncertainty. Many of my peers concur. We agree that “at our age,” we view time in a manner far different from former periods in our lives.
The reality exists-- the amount of physical time left is at a premium for those of us who are eighty . . . or almost. As one friend described: “Being 80 is weird.” Who knew we could spend an hour—or longer—conversing on that subject? My physical future does not consist of decades, nor necessarily even years. The timeline of my life is drawing to a close. And that is the black and white fact.
“They” say that with age comes wisdom, though I wonder who “they” are and who gave “them” the authority to make such statements. Over the years I have learned a whole lot about a whole lot of things. In fact, the more I know, the more I realize how little I know. The wisdom part? Not so much.
School was easy for me, and I received good grades. One thing I learned, though, is that getting an A is not the same as having good judgment, character, or common sense. Memorizing facts for a test is not a substitute for intelligence, creativity, motivation, or success.
I have learned you can “step out.” Or you can “stay put.” I have also learned sometimes you are “pushed out,” even though you want to “stay put.” It is the equivalent of childbirth. No one gets to stay in a comfortable fetal nest. The truth: Life happens outside the comfort of the womb, beyond our comfort zones. Scary? Absolutely! Hard? For sure! That’s probably why we have no memories of that physical process. The pressure must have been enormous for all of us.
I have learned there are two ways to learn—the hard way and the easy way. I don’t think I need to expound on that point.
I have also learned there are paradoxes along the way. The support of family and friends is valuable and important, but I still have to go through life and the learning process alone. It is absolute truth that I came into the world alone. And I will leave it alone. So, too, the living of life in between those two events.
I learned I am responsible for myself, my decisions and choices . . . and no one else’s. Conversely, no one else bears responsibility for mine.
I have learned money is a tool, but it has no purchase power when it comes to my health, peace of mind, relationships, or happiness.
I’ve learned that laughter is a gift and is the best medicine. A little bit of kindness goes a long way. Holding onto a grudge or offense is equivalent to carrying a heavy load and is not worth the space it occupies in my being or my mind.
It is important to “Stop and smell the roses.” Nurturing living and growing things matters, whether that is in the form of providing food for a hummingbird, tending a garden, or caring for an animal or neighbors.
Grandchildren are a gift and God’s surprise reward in this lifetime. 😊
I’ve learned that joy comes at unexpected times in unexpected ways and places. And at the age of “almost” eighty, surpasses any physical, monetary item.
One lesson has carried me through most of my life and some very difficult times: Faith is not the same as church or religion. The one is a relationship with a person, my Creator. The other is an activity
As I stumble into my eightieth year, I continue to learn that attitude is crucial. I am thankful and grateful—another thing I’ve learned— “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” [1]
My life is rich in ways money cannot buy. I am blessed with a wonderful family and many friends. And as I look ahead, my future, just like my life, is not mine. I placed it in the hands of God many years ago, and in His faithfulness, He will see me through—not to the end, but to the beginning of the rest of my life—in eternity.
1 comment:
Beautifully said!
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