My brother shared with me a short essay that pertained to topics that I also write about often: gratitude, cultivated happiness and their impacts on resilience and overall health. You might enjoy reading it too.
THE BACK NINE HOLES
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 worse shape than me … but, I see the 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 taking 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 on my own free will … I may 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 things that I wish I had done … and never did !!! But, at least I know, that though I’m on the back nine, and I’m not sure how long it will last … 2 or 3, or 15 or 20 years ? … this I do know, that when it’s over on this earth…it’s over. Does a new adventure begin? I really don’t know. Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done … things I should have done … but there are many things I’m happy to have done. It’s all in a lifetime.
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 things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. 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 … and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past !!!
“Life” is a gift. 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 those pieces of gold and silver. LIVE HAPPY!