Seventy!?! What Else Has Changed?

 

By the time this post reaches Easin’ Along readers, yours truly will be one day away from crossing the threshold into another decade on earth. At times, I find it hard to believe that I am talking about myself while placing “seventy years old” in the same sentence. Nevertheless, birthday number seventy will arrive at the stroke of midnight on Friday. I can shake my head in disbelief all I want, but, as I am fond of saying, a zebra can’t change his stripes…it is what it is.

Please don’t think of me as forlorn, sorrowful, and certainly not sad at reaching this milestone, because I am not.  Like most, there are a few regrets and missed opportunities, but, I can’t focus on those. I am blessed far beyond the modest hopes and dreams I had as a young man if I ever had any of those thoughts, but my, how things have changed in seventy years.

Here’s a quick story to illustrate that point. Three evenings ago, I was having dinner with five great guys who are dear friends that I have known for forty years. We all lived in the same neighborhood for many of those years and camped together, fished together, drank together, and laughed together about topics not fit for print. Some of us still camp and fish together, but on this occasion, we spent more time laughing about our joint replacements than we did at bawdy jokes. Yes, a few things have changed mightily.

Sitting in the Man Cave with 50’s and 60’s Music blasting away from an Amazon Echo serves as a great representation of how much change has transpired since I first listened to the same music on a tube radio in my bedroom. Tall, gangly, and awkward, I probably danced a jig for a beat or two at the time providing I could hear the song above the static.  Now, I marvel at being able to speak to a black cylinder and hear the same songs clearly or, even more astounding, my questions answered by an unseen someone named Alexa.

I’m not working anymore, and that’s a change. I’ve had a “real job” since my first newspaper route at age 12. There are some things that I can’t change, however. There are aspects of working full-time that I find myself missing on occasion. I miss the friends and the relationships I accumulated over many years of a career building homes. I find myself missing time around young people and feeling the effects of their boundless energy and enthusiasm and their connection to things current. I miss the daily challenges that one confronts in the workplace and the process of finding successful solutions to those challenges. Finally, I miss earning a paycheck—not because of the money, but because every dime I ever received represented hard work, dedication, and a contribution toward the task of accomplishing a goal. Nevertheless, I’m not trading any of the above for the job I have now but, in all probability, I will never get used to being without a real job.

I write often now and, even though it is only a part-time endeavor, writing for pleasure was always in the plan for life after my career ended. I wrote for a small magazine I was involved with during the 80’s, and I always kept a journal, but there was not much time to write as a home builder. That has changed now. I have committed to no less than one Easin’ Along post a week, and my life has rhythm and a schedule around which I organize everything else. I love that as much as I love the writing. Easin’ Along also serves as a record of our lives during retirement and of the extended travel time that retirement has made available to us.

I am much more spiritual than ever. Regrettably, I made very little space for God in my life in the past. I went through the motions; I made promises to read and study the Bible that I never kept; I attended church, but never made a sincere effort to become involved. The change occurred after a bad business experience found me in need of someone besides me to lean on. Miraculously, I was asked to join a Bible study with some members of our church and, oddly enough, several in the group were experiencing difficulties similar to mine. We talked, cried, and prayed through our problems together.  In the end, each of us came away with the realization that faith in something greater than us will carry us much farther than traveling alone. I love our church and our members and look forward to every opportunity to be among them and to serve. I am always working on my journey of faith, but I know it is much stronger now than in the past.

The clock is ticking, and I need to close before I turn seventy, but the list of changes remains a lengthy one. I appreciate art and music more than ever primarily because I can’t do either, and admire greatly anyone who can. I am more careful with my health and always struggle with my weight.  On occasion, (rainy weather) I walk with a cane due to a worn out hip, but hopefully, a replacement scheduled for July will make things better. I give less thought to my appearance now than ever before.  You may catch me in my favorite overalls and Crocs at the supermarket now instead of the starched, pressed, and buttoned-down wardrobe I wore in the past. I gave up a concern about gray hair long ago.

The most significant change is that I take things much slower now. I intend to remain active and continue to go and to do for as long as I am able. Helen (adorable wife) has the same plan.  Gracey, our travel trailer, will soon be hitched to Bert and on her way to the beach. Nonetheless, we’ll go slowly and smell the flowers at every opportunity. The pace is one we can handle no matter our age, and a seventieth birthday won’t change that. That’s why we call this journey Easin’ Along.