“Fill your life with experiences not things. Have stories to tell not stuff to share.”
Having recently completed another lap around the sun, I find myself in a reflective mood today pondering the aging process and the 365 day endless loop it sometimes resembles.
Although my tires have a few more miles on them these days, they still seem to hold the road fairly well. Knees and hips are original factory installed parts and don’t seem in need of repair.
For anyone in the 50+ club, there’s good & bad news when it comes to aging. It’s an intangible of sorts, but the wisdom we gain during the journey provides a tremendous amount of clarity & happiness later in life. Now for the bad news… the odometer starts the day we’re born.
Dictating the pace of life is crucial. We have some control, but if we’re not careful, things can get out of hand… days become nights, weeks become months and before we realize it, years are rolling past us.
A brief refresher…
In the early days of life, things don’t move fast enough… and there are rules galore. You can’t go to the town pool without your parents. Riding on the big boy roller coasters at the now defunct Palisades Amusement Park (NJ) stipulated you be a certain height. Obtaining a learners permit to drive required you to be 16 years of age. Getting into the local bar(s) dictated 18 years of age or you had a really good fake ID, whichever came first.
You see the pattern… bigger, taller & older.
Then someone hits the fast forward button and life shifts into overdrive. In a mystical and yet understandable manner, years collectively morph into one block of time and escape our memory. Unless you’re the exception; high school to college to first job to career path will jointly bridge about 20 years. Sure, there will be fond moments and highlights along the way, but at the same time, plenty of black holes will exit. Some of the latter are college related and sadly don’t need explaining (we’ve all been there). We’ll file these memories under live & learn.
So, as begin my 57th year of existence, I’m trying to slow things down further. Instead of running through the year, I’m thinking a slow jog is in order. Overall, I think I’m pretty good at living in the moment, but I will certainly look to improve once again this year.
Little things like spending more quality time with family. Sticking around for an extra 5 minutes of conversation when you run into an old friend. Maybe even having a 2nd cup of coffee and reading another article in the New York Times (yes, the hard copy) will be prioritized. Alas… I will even try to put the camera down periodically and enjoy the scenery. Note to self: There’s a difference in recording and experiencing a moment. Don’t mix them up.
There you have it… now time for that 2nd cup of coffee.
