The most important thing to remember is that all the denial in the world does not change ones age. No matter what we say we are, it will not stop the process. Instead be ok with whatever age you are. Death is the alternative to aging. Mentally I have tried to stay a little younger than I actually am, but my body has refused to cooperate and has aged according to my life path.
As I have said a number of times, I will turn 77 in July. I am finding out that in spite how little I thought about my age, I am living longer than so many of my friends and relatives. There are so many things that I once was able to do with no effort at all are now close to impossible, but I'm still here and going along well. I am able to take complete care of myself. Cooking, cleaning, shopping, golfing on occasion and hopefully traveling soon to Maine for some Lobster and reminiscing. Overall I've had a great life. It has had it's ups and it's downs, but it has progressed along with very few serious problems.
I have lived through the 1950's where I quietly grew to be a teenager, lived through the 60's witnessing how close we came to a nuclear war with the USSR, was here for a Presidents Assassination, witnessed on live TV the murder of the alleged assassin, witnessed racial protests and riots, went to the other side of the planet to participate in a "police action" in So. Vietnam. I almost forgot Expo 67 in Montreal.
The 70's that brought me marriage and two wonderful babies and the beginnings of my career. Other than that it consisted of work, bill paying, sleep, rinse and repeat, first house/home, not all that many highlights.
The 80's brought tranquility and parenting, my first visit to WDW, purchasing a Residential Care Home taking care of Mentally challenged or ill, Physically challenged and the elderly.
The 90's were very busy and stressful. At one point during that time both my daughters were in college as was my wife. One was in Colorado College in Colorado Springs, the other in Tulane University in New Orleans and my wife was in Boston attending UMass. How I could have used a money tree about that time. Also my Oldest Daughter got married and we approached the unknown, at the time, Y2K!
Then came the 2-00's when everything fell apart. It started fine, my first grandchild was born, my second daughter married (all good) and then due to circumstances out of my control we had to close the business, file bankruptcy, my wife decided that after 29 years she no longer wanted to be married and left with no warning. I had to find a new career and I found the thing that I enjoyed the most and that was driving City buses and a few years later worked as a manager for the same organization. Things started to get stable again, then my youngest and her family moved to NC toward the end of that decade. Later in 09" I fell down some stairs carrying stuff in both hands landing on my right knee on a concrete floor. That severed my quad muscle just above the kneecap requiring surgery.
Then came the 2-10's when in that first year my oldest and her family moved to NC as well, leaving me in the cold with my family, which by then consisted of three grandchildren and one more one on the way, 1000 miles away. I retired and moved to join them in NC and almost all of the rest is documented someplace in these electronic pages.
What I document here was a life of pretty mundane things. Never got famous, never discovered anything that saved humanity or even influenced anyone. I have managed to face the good and the bad, just like all of us have too at some time or the other. I made it a point to travel other than Vietnam, R&R in Osaka, Japan (1970), to Europe twice, cruise to the Bahamas, Trans Atlantic cruise from Rome to Fort Lauderdale, Went to WDW 45 times, Disneyland once and Disneyland Paris once. Was part of transportation team at the 2014 Masters in Augusta, GA. and so many fun road trips over the years covering about 38 of the lower 48 in the USA. Basically life has been good, the dips were just temporary and I am hoping to add more good to those over whatever number of years, months, weeks or days that I have ahead of me.
Life is short, don't be afraid to be what you are and who you are and what stage of life you are currently in. Embrace it and remember that you only live once, take every advantage of it that you can.
Sorry that was way longer than I expected. I thought about deleting most of it, but then decided it was a lot of work so I'll post it and worst case scenario everyone can just scroll past it. If I had kept going I could have made an autobiography that no one would buy.
I don't want messages at all, some years I've managed to get by with them totally forgetting. This year, apparently they've decided to just make it the entire month since I won't tell them. 