I have fond memories of being young and feeling invincible. Those days are well behind me now, but I have learned to accept that fact. I wouldn’t trade the scars, or the aches and pains for the experiences I’ve accumulated to earn them. Time stops for no man or woman and I am no exception to that rule. I am not “old” by any means, but the physical feats that came easily in the past have managed to abandon me. I may not be able to run like I used to, but I can still walk. I can’t lift heavy items, but I can still lift smaller items…several times!
The further into this thing called life we’re into, the more we tend to look back. We think about what we’ve done right and what we’ve done wrong. We remember what we have learned and how we managed to learn it. Mesh together our failures and our successes and we should gather wisdom. I didn’t say we gather intelligence, simply wisdom. We become “wiser” as we age. We hopefully use better judgment and rely on our experiences, so we don’t make the same mistakes that we did when we were younger. Life itself is a risk and living it is the reward.
My wife and I recently drove from Maine to Florida and we stopped in Virginia to spend some time with friends. Al and Carolyn are a bit older than we are and they have been through unimaginable experiences throughout their 66 years of marriage. It was fascinating to hear them speak and finish each other’s sentences. Oh, the stories they could tell! Their minds are sharp, but their bodies are starting to feel the effects of long lives well lived. I could tell you what they have endured individually and together, but the importance of that may come into play in a future blog. You need only know that they are good people, wise people, and experienced people.
As we were saying our goodbyes, I asked them both the same question…”Would you prefer to be young again or have the wisdom that you have now?” Carolyn spoke without hesitation and responded by saying, “Wisdom”. They were both very comfortable with their age and where they were in life’s journey. They are a testament to living life to its fullest, leaving it all on the field, and making memories instead of excuses. Sure, they’d like to feel young again, but they wouldn’t change a thing about their journey that led them to their destination, which is living the heck out of today. If we do things right, we appreciate our wisdom while thanking our youth for allowing us to obtain it. If we do things smart, we attempt to pass along our wisdom to the youth who will hopefully accept and absorb it. Done properly, neither youth or wisdom are wasted!
Thanks so much for sharing this with us!! Excellent advice.