Food for Thought

Let’s start with an update of Diane.  Things are going well, and she is about halfway through cardio rehab—hooray! 

 Usually what I offer here is semi-original, but today I’m going to diverge a bit and give credit where credit is due to Regina Brett.  Were she alive she would be 106 years old, and she used to write for The Plain Dealer from Cleveland, Ohio.  High school buddy, Bill Briggs, sent her thoughts to me several years ago, and I came upon them while going through some files a couple of days ago.  Her thoughts are pertinent to all ages but particularly those of us in the 4th quarter.  Take it away Regina!

• Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.
• When in doubt, just take the next small step.
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
• Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
• Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
• Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
• Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful, or joyful.
• Whatever doesn’t kill you really makes you stronger.
• Burn the candles, use nice sheets, wear fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
• No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
• Frame every so-called disaster with these words, “In five years will it matter?”
• Forgive everyone everything.
• What other people think of you is none of your business.
• Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
• Believe in miracles.
• All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
• Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

   Thanks Regina.

I was visiting with a friend the other day and she made what I thought was a profound observation. “Gordy, we can all come clean at age 80.” I laughed. She laughed. No need for any false pretensions in the 4^th Quarter. We are lucky to have gotten this far and too late for apologies or second guessing. I reread Regina’s list, and I was surprised at how many of her suggestions I work at “doing” every day. Sometimes I’m successful and sometimes I’m not but I try.

I’m finding the whole concept of “aging” has new challenges almost every day from simple aches and pains to more serious concerns. I’ll put this one to the test in the days ahead as I was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. No idea yet how significant this bump in the road will be but time will surely answer that question one way or another. Dad and my three brothers in the Taylor family didn’t live long enough to experience some of the health issues I find myself addressing, so exploring some new territory moving forward. The whole concept of getting this old is a relatively new phenomenon as people used to retire at 65, then expect to live another few years before exiting this world for the next. Jeepers, come to think of it, not many folks were fortunate to make it to that 9^th decade of life but here I am.

As I’ve said repeatedly, working hard not to “let the old man in” and while not a youth-obsessed boomer, doing my best to get out there and still play the game. As a matter of fact, we still have the basketball hoop in the driveway where the Taylor boys spent countless hours in serious competition, and now I am content with making five free throws in a row. Sometimes it’s an arduous task but always rewarding even if it does take me a while.

All right—enough from me and hats off to dear Regina and buddy Bill Briggs for hopefully giving us all “food for thought.”