December 15, 2019
50 lessons and thoughts of being 50…with no specific order of importance, just wrote them as they came to my head as I reflected on my birthday morning while still stirring in bed.
01 - A college education is overrated – most every position I held in my career, I either self-taught or was able to learn on the job or from others. The college degree just helped unlock the door, I still had to still open and walk through the door.
02 - I earned every bald spot and every gray hair. I earned them from experiencing life, while each wrinkle was the moment I survived one of those harassing hurdles.
03 - My parents were always my loudest cheerleader, it’s a shame as a teenager I felt they were always nagging me for something I did wrong or didn’t do, what I didn’t know is they wanted me have a better life than they did. I am certain now, I done them proud.
04 - I know who my closest friends are and know the ones who I can trust with my life and everything in it, those who I should be keep at a safe distance and those I know I have to let go and fade peacefully away without much fanfare.
05 - I have begun to put my needs and wants first before others. I have to realize I come first then my family then everyone and everything else. One way or another, all will fall into place but I won’t have a second family or second chance of taking care of me.
06 - I had no choice in style, type, color or brand of genes filling my closet. The game of hereditary is something we all fight throughout our life and especially as we get older. Rather take a health setback with DABDA, I’d rather accept it, fight to keep the demon away or knock it out of my life entirely.
07 - Being rich has nothing to do with material things and the size of my bank account. The countless items making me rich never included the things I own nor the things I was able to buy with my credit card. It was who I chose to include and experience life with and the ones who I can enjoy an intimate conversation.
08 - The best gift given to me was the experiences I had in my travels and the people I am blessed to have in my life. This has brought me the most joy in my life.
09 - I’m ok having my relationship with God on an individual basis. I realized rather young that I don’t need to go to church to believe in God. My faith is spiritual not evangelical.
10 - I thank God every day for another day. Each day is a new gift waiting to be opened.
11 - I have to remember to breathe. Its not an optional activity. Breathe.
12 - Remember the poem, “All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten” and then try to translate into as what a better world it would be if we all followed these simple rules to live by. I embrace change but do believe simpler is truly better. Why complicate matters when KISS holds true in everything.
13 - I know myself better than anyone else. The opinions, the suggestions and the ideas others have are purely recommendations not an obligation for me to fulfill.
14 - I try to find a positive spin on everything – because there is a positive spin in everything.
15 - Always keep that inner child alive – including visits to Magic Kingdom, collecting all things Curious George and playing with my LEGO sets. Once you forget that inner child, Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny disappear as does the magic of holidays. The inner child will always keep you smiling as times get tough and keep others around you in wonder.
16 - Life does go by really, really fast. Taken from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, “Life goes by pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."
17 - Be present. No explanation necessary.
18 - It’s OK to say “No.” I don’t owe anybody an explanation. Even though I may always interject ways to rationalize and explain my reasoning, I really don’t have to do this. I really need to learn to stop explaining.
19 - Laugh and smile every day. If I make a mistake, fall down, or do something dumb, I just laugh it off or if I don’t remember something, I try not to dwell on it, but smile and move onward. Fail is as someone told me First Attempt In Life. Dust off and try it again or try something else.
20 - Change is the only consistent constant in this so called life.
21 - Always better an hour early than a minute late.
22 - I always tell the truth because you won’t have to keep up with your stories. This way I don’t have to remember lies. I was never good at lying even as a child.
23 - Can’t is a 4 letter word – prove them wrong!
24 - Being alone is awesome… and is NOT the same thing as being lonely.
25 - I am an introvert – I am not shy. They are not the synonymous.
26 - I own no regrets of could have, should have or would have.
27 - It’s a matter of perspective. Climbing down the mountain of life gives me a different view but just as beautiful as the view I had climbing up the mountain.
28 - The distance between 18 and 30 is greater than the distance between 21 and 50. Think about it, before you do the math.
29 - My silence speaks louder than words when I am angry, frustrated or just not in a good mood.
30 - I am rather even keel, often told I have as much personality as a stale fig newton, as I usually don’t sway to many extremes with my feelings, my emotions or my moods.
31 - I’d rather be pleasantly surprised than be devastatingly disappointed.
32 - Friends that allow you to pick up from where you last left, regardless of how long it’s been since you last talked or visited are the sacred friendships which last a lifetime.
33 - I realize I have a family made up of my closest friends who have taken me in as their brother, their son and their grandson. With that being said, “I love you for you being you and you being part of my journey in my life.”
34 - I’d rather have 4 quarters than 100 pennies. Again, think about it before you do the math.
35 - I am still your friend when we don’t agree with each other’s opinions. Equally, I don’t have to agree with your opinions to be your friend.
36 - When I make fun of you, it is because I took time to think up of something to make fun of you with and share it with you, because it’s my strange way of showing you I care about you and you are my friend. If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t waste my breath or energy to do something so ludicrous.
37 - It’s expensive to be my friend. You have to earn my respect, pay attention, show me common interests and invest in my conversations and not discount me for my faults. In return, I know my worth and I pay back the same dividends, and believe my return over time is greater than the original investment.
38 - I hate to be the center of attention, I learned to accept being sincerely appreciated and recognized by others. I’d much sooner become one with the curtains or crawl under the nearest table and hide until the excitement of recognition is clearly over.
39 - When it comes to politics, I maybe for the right person who is left or be the one left for the right idea. I take my right and responsibility to vote seriously and take time to know my own position on topics of interest to me and then see who coincides closest to my beliefs.
40 - Take pride in all that you do as it’s a reflection of your parents, educators and mentors who imprinted character on your soul. It’s my job to make them look good and their time with me was a worthwhile investment.
41 - Each morning, I strive to be better than my yesterday. It doesn’t always happen, but I strive to do so. I like how the positive energy begins my day.
42 - After a solid workout with my personal trainer, I know must have grown new muscles and new bones, as I hurt in places I never I could hurt. I have this love-hate relationship with each and every one of my personal trainers I’ve had over the years because of this.
43 - I had an excellent childhood, awesome adolescence and so far for the most part an amazing adulthood. However; no one can convince me otherwise but being an only child, from a small family and single will always suck.
44 - Age is a number. That number only counts the number of laps I circled what on earth we call the sun. There are days I feel like I am still in my teens other days I feel as I have aged 100 years in a day. However; that number tells me my days are finite as I see with each high school reunion a few less than the one 10 years before.
45 - I will either enjoy or suffer the consequences of my choices in life. I weight options out every chance I get and then choose carefully.
46 - I want to take time to learn something new every year as I never want to stop learning.
47 - I like to beat to my own drum and definitely resent it when someone tells me I am stubborn and not open-minded. I’d rather say I have perseverance and tenacity to go after what I believe is right for me without easily throwing in the white flag.
48 - The words of my favorite the poems, “Footprints”, “If” and “Desiderata” all strongly resonate with my journey in life.
49 - Rinse. Lather. Repeat.
50 - Although I am on a trip of a lifetime with an ultimate destination, I chose to enjoy the journey of getting there. The destination may or may not be what I expect or anticipate. According to Steve Jobs, “Journey is the reward.”
Our human brains have a thing for lists, it adds order, structure to our lives and keeps us focused in a world of chaos. Although, life gets in the way of living, I’ve been dealt a pretty decent deck of cards. I’ll make the most of my day and live my life as life truly begins at 50!
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