Birthday Perspectives

I had a birthday a couple of weeks ago.  You heard about it here.

I don't feel old but I'm getting there.  And I've realized a few things. 

As you get old, life gets slower.  It's not just that you get slower (you do), but life seems to slow down.   Or maybe it's just that life gets simpler.   Maybe even, as your vision declines, things get clearer.

I'm pretty sure that your priorities change. Priorities at least get more distinct, probably more narrow. 

"Things" just aren't so important any more.  Money, houses, cars, jewelry, vacations.  OK...forget that part about vacations...they're still important, maybe even more so.  You heard a little about mine last week.

I used to have an uncle who liked to say "I'm working on my second million...I gave up on my first."   

Money doesn't seem as important as you get older but then most of us of a certain age probably have fewer bills and a steadier income so maybe it isn't fair to say that. 

Maybe you wanted to have a lifestyle that would put you on TV's Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.  

If we're honest, we all, at one time, probably wished for riches that would give us the ability to jet off to exotic places on a notion, stay in the finest hotels, eat everything on the menu.

I think I'm one of the lucky ones that realized that I was rich beyond my wildest dreams a long time ago. And it didn't have anything to do with money.   

I didn't have to get old to know that.   When I was much younger, all I wanted was a job that I enjoyed and enough money to put food on the table and make the house and car payment(s).  And kids...I always wanted kids.

At a certain age, you're probably living in your last house and it's probably paid for.  It no longer matters how big your house is but it does matter if you can easily get in and out of the bathroom.  It might even matter more what the yard and landscaping look like than the house.  A lot of old folks are like that. 

If you're old, you probably don't trade cars as often.  We don't.  My wife and I drive the wheels off of our vehicles.  And there are no fancy cars in our garage.  As long as I have a pick-up truck and my wife has a car with seat warmers, we're both happy as can be. 

Jewelry?   Maybe my wife would give you a different answer.  I sure don't need any.  My wedding ring is enough and my watch is so old I can't remember where it came from.

Family becomes more important.   That's probably because you understand better how precious they are.

I'm not exactly like most grandparents who seem prone to say that if they knew grandparenting was so much fun they would have skipped having kids and moved straight into being a grandparent.   I love and enjoy my grandkids but raising my own children was one of the absolute greatest experiences of my life.  

I do know that it took me a while to realize that it was more important that they be happy than it was for them to be the star of the team or to bring home straight A's.  Or clean up their room.  (And I just got the stare from both of them over that straight A's comment.)

Your plans to change the world get modified.   But you're OK with that because you might just realize that you've changed all the world that you need to.  Or maybe you've been able to decide which world you want to change.

Yep, this getting old thing isn't too bad.  I'm healthy and deliriously happy.   

Getting older?  I hope so!  Like Kenny Chesney says "Lord, I want to go to heaven, just not today."