365 Day Journal Challenge

Day 7 - Age is strictly a case of mind over matter

Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. - Jack Benny

How true this is. I think emotional age has nothing to do with physical age and it’s the emotional one that’l kill ya. It’s the disillusionment, the fear of failing, the fear of not providing enough, of being guilty for not spending enough time with loved ones b/c of work, worry, tiredness, not having enough energy to cure the tiredness with exercise. This all can happen in the 40’s and 50’s and can wipe a man out.

On the other hand, enjoying life, having a little hobby or alternate love such as writing, may not make you super dedicated to the primary job but it does help you keep it all in perspective. In the opening song of RENT, we are given a question-How do you measure a year in the life? It lists everything from love relationships to cups of coffee, friendships, inches, miles, etc. It is how we mark our lives that tells us how much we have really lived, not in years but in moments. And in this measurement, the higher the number, the better.

I look forward to my late 30’s and 40’s not just because I can watch my kids grow up and run from one extracurricular activity to another though it is rewarding to see them bloom. Mainly, its because I am not waiting until I retire to write, I’m not waiting until the big moments to take pictures and savor moments, and I’m not waiting til grandchildren come to impart whatever wisdom I have gathered in my short life (37 yrs) so far. I am writing it all now, the moments with the kids, the thoughts I have about things that matter to me, etc. I know that my children will be able to know me in some way whether I get hit by a bus or live til 100. I don’t worry about that (well, not so much). I still have things I need to do better and I’m learning not to obsess over them all at once. I’m not done yet with life and I’m pretty good at finding something else to do if there’s a lull.

I’ve often thought about what I would do if I became blind, or unable to type and I decided there’s always voice recognition hardware. In other words, I will always write. I can retire from the state in 13 yrs, I will be send my kids off to college in 12 and then 15 yrs. By then, I will be a mere 52 tops. But what would I lose if I waited until 52 to start writing. I couldn’t do it but if I did. Would I feel old and empty depriving myself of something I love for that long. Would it just dry up? I played guitar several days a week until my first child was born. I loved it. Seven years later I struggle to remember the chords. My son loves guitar and I want to get back to playing. I really don’t have the time but perhaps its worth making time. Do I want to fear laying on my deathbed wishing I had done something. No, not really.

So at the end of the day, if you listen to your soul, care for your needs along the way, and do things that you feel are important to you and your family…along the way, you can really live life to the point that dying could be met with the comment, “I would have liked to have stayed but if it’s my time, I’m satisfied I did my best to live the life I was given.” If aging is the fear of death, then not fearing death is the elixir of life.

SWPoet




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