I was blessed to have my father until the good age of 84 years and more blessed to have him with me when I turned 50 years old. In retrospection, my thoughts of my father and age when I was 25 was nothing more than youth-foolishness because when I turned 50, I honestly felt that that day was the first day of the rest of my life.
It seems to me that since I turned 50, every year onwards, although only 3 years at this stage, I feel better and better, healthier and more positive at life. Fortunately, I always tried to live the good life, look after myself and since I turned 50, each year go for a thorough medical check-up. Naturally, one has to sacrifice some of your health. I have to wear spectacles, am on medication for high blood pressure and must watch my cholesterol.
These few setbacks are not going to deny me to live life to the fullest and I am blessed with 3 children who turned out good. The last one left home just after my 50th birthday but they are still around and we are still a tight knit family. I always told my wife that it is strange, we started off with careers with only one goal and that was to give our children the best in life. To do that we had to commit ourselves even to make debt and then we had to maintain our careers to make sure we could repay our debts.
So, when I turned 50, and the last child could fly the nest, my life started anew. Fortunately I am blessed to have my wife with me and now we can start working for ourselves. We now have time for all those things we could not do or afford while we were raising a family. It is not big things, but small things because that is what makes life interesting.
Today I have only 6 years left before I retire, but it does not bother us at all. More than 25 years ago I learned a good lesson in life that you must never try to put life in segments of time. You are as old as you want to feel and how you want to enjoy life, life with a capital L!
Today while I am writing this, it is the 1st day of the rest of my life! And tomorrow, yes, it would be the 1st day of the rest of my life. And the day there after, yes, ........
Life is good!
recommend this
email
print
link to this page
Comments: 7
I have to say I really didn't suffer from empty nest, gratefully of course. I have 7 wonderful children(4 are step-children but never the less mine) We too are very close knit, talk and visit often.
My husband and I have immensly enjoyed our new-found freedom( if you know what I mean :-P) and have fallen in love all over again! It's been ten years of bliss regardless, but we now have the memories of our accomplishments, reminiscant of our children. Yipee!! Hooray!!
So at 40 maybe even late 30's ,I realized the importance of living life's little miracles one day at a time and being filled with gratitude for all that is to come.
May you live life like your dying! More importantly life is inevitably what you make it!
EnJOY!!