Well, in case you missed it, last week was my 50th birthday. Pretty shocking actually. Thanks to everyone for the various expressions of celebration for my day. You have each made my life better in one way or another.
Fifty years sure seems to come along quickly….but of course it isn’t. I have forgotten far more days and events than I remember, so what I remember of life is much shorter, thus seeming to speed along more quickly. Still, I can’t believe my eldest daughter is now 19 and that I’ve been married 25 years or that my parents will be celebrating 54 years of marriage in a few weeks. One minute you are playing with friends in your basement, the next you are half a century old.
I was thinking of writing a blog post about my plans for expressing my old age. You know as you get older, you apparently can get away with being even more blunt in your expressions. But that stuff will probably emerge in my other posts through the years.
Here’s all I really wanted to say at this point….I get no promise of another 50 years, not even 50 months. I can’t even assure myself of 50 more seconds, though I guess we’ll find out as I keep typing. The point? Live well now. There is no extra time.
We are fast approaching a new semester at the college. I hope both the students and the professors will embrace this idea. Live well now! There is nothing to wait for. That’s true if you want to audition for the school play, if you want to make good grades or if you want to learn to play guitar. Take more walks with people you love. Put down the computer device glued to your hand and look at a sunrise. Go sit on a porch and listen to crickets or the birds or just the wind.
Enjoy life and live it well. That means using every second well, both in being and in doing. I hope I do get another 50. I’ve worked hard this last decade to get very healthy, so maybe that extends my days. But, this might be my last. If so, know that I pray you remember me as a man who walked with God and was devoted to His ways….and thus was a good friend, mentor, peer and confidant who did live well.