The Four Stages of Life
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We can always use a chuckle or a smile!
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The Back Nine of Life
You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married, and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all those years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.
But here it is – the back nine of my life and it catches me by surprise. How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first hole and the back nine was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.
But here it is – my friends are retired and getting gray. They move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some in worse shape than me. But I see a great change. Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d become.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day. And taking a nap is not a treat anymore – it’s mandatory! Because if I don’t snooze of my own free well, I just fall asleep where I sit.
And so now I enter into this new season of my life, unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do the things I wish I had done but never did! But at least I know that although I’m on the back nine and I’m not sure how long it will last, this I know – that when it’s all over on this earth, it’s over. A new adventure will begin.
Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done and things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in living a lifetime.
So, if you’re not on the back nine yet, let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think. So whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly! Don’t put off things too long. Life goes by quickly. So do what you can today as you can never be sure whether you’re on the back nine or not.
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life. So live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember. Hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things you have done for them in the years past.
“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. Live it well. Enjoy today. Do something fun. Be Happy. Have a great day. Remember “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."
Lastly, consider this:
But Old is good in some things – Old songs, Old movies, and best of all, Old Friends! Stay well, Old Friend. Send this on to other Old Friends and let them laugh in agreement. It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of a life you have lived. Today is the oldest you have ever been, yet it is the youngest you will ever be. So enjoy the day while it lasts. Keep laughter in your heart and enjoy the world around you.
Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.
You know time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married, and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all those years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.
But here it is – the back nine of my life and it catches me by surprise. How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first hole and the back nine was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.
But here it is – my friends are retired and getting gray. They move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some in worse shape than me. But I see a great change. Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d become.
Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day. And taking a nap is not a treat anymore – it’s mandatory! Because if I don’t snooze of my own free well, I just fall asleep where I sit.
And so now I enter into this new season of my life, unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do the things I wish I had done but never did! But at least I know that although I’m on the back nine and I’m not sure how long it will last, this I know – that when it’s all over on this earth, it’s over. A new adventure will begin.
Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done and things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in living a lifetime.
So, if you’re not on the back nine yet, let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think. So whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly! Don’t put off things too long. Life goes by quickly. So do what you can today as you can never be sure whether you’re on the back nine or not.
You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life. So live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember. Hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things you have done for them in the years past.
“Life” is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. Live it well. Enjoy today. Do something fun. Be Happy. Have a great day. Remember “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."
Lastly, consider this:
- Your kids are becoming you but your grandchildren are perfect.
- Going out is good. Coming home is better.
- You forget names but that’s OK because some people forgot they even knew you!
- You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything like golf.
- You sleep better in a lounge chair with the TV on than you do in bed. It’s called “pre-sleep.”
- You miss the days when everything worked with just an “On” and an “Off” switch.
- You tend to use more four-letter words: “What?” “When?
- What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
- Everybody whispers or mumbles.
- You have three sizes of clothes in your closet, two of which you will never wear again.
But Old is good in some things – Old songs, Old movies, and best of all, Old Friends! Stay well, Old Friend. Send this on to other Old Friends and let them laugh in agreement. It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of a life you have lived. Today is the oldest you have ever been, yet it is the youngest you will ever be. So enjoy the day while it lasts. Keep laughter in your heart and enjoy the world around you.
Do not regret growing older. It is a privilege denied to many.
