REAR VIEW
The difference between old and young is not your physical age. If fact, I know individuals that are up there in age but are useful, energetic and the type that radiate positive energy. On the flip side, I know individuals that are physically young in age but are a mess, over weight, inactive, unhealthy and not the type of energy you want to be a part of. But the real difference between old and young is that young individuals are always looking forward. They are looking forward to something to feel happy and excited about. They anticipate, and are excited about something that is going to happen. The best is yet to come.
Old is a totally different lifestyle. Old looking individuals, and, by old looking I am referring to a mental state, not necessarily your appearance, are usually looking in their rear view mirror. They feel their best days are gone. Their thought process is usually retirement and whether they are going to have enough in their golden years. Retirement is an atrocious word in the dictionary. There is a negative connotation attached to it. To me it means you are done growing. And, I hate to inform you but if you are done growing, the next stage of your life is death. If you are done growing, you become useless. That is the stage where you become a burden on your loved ones.
The question is how do you want to live your life, regardless of age? I remember leaving a grocery store once with my wife and our two young daughters and as I was pushing the cart to our vehicle, I started picking up speed and jumping on the cart where your feet are off the ground and just enjoying the ride. My wife and daughters were laughing but my wife overheard a little girl asking her mom, "mom why can't I do that?" And, her mom's response was " because grown ups should not do that, besides you can get hurt." I was unaware, that grown ups could not do that activity or that I can get hurt! I do not recall reading anywhere that as I get physically older, I have to forgo having fun in life.
Life brings you what you desire. Whether it is good, bad, forward or backward looking. So, why not always look forward? I submit to you that maybe the retirement mindset should be changed with a "career change," way of looking at this specific time in your life. If you look at your "retirement," more as a career change, it becomes forward looking. It is similar to looking at it as a professional athlete moving on from his playing days to a career in the broadcast booth or a career in a business venture. Or a lawyer or doctor, moving on to a different career after their time of providing services terminate, either by choice or by nature. I leave you with a poem on point titled "Staying Young"
"I've something to say to you older folks,
and you young folks listen too,
for what I'm about to say, will some day
apply to you.
I know that some of you older folks
are happily retired,
and have no ties to bind you, and work
is no longer required.
So you're sitting around in idleness,
each day becomes a bore.
You're beginning to start thinking,
there's nothing worth living for.
You'd like to be in some business,
but think it's too late to begin,
well, I'll tell you about a business,
that all of you can be in.
Be in the business of staying young,
make staying young a career,
don't live in the past, plan a future,
look forward to each added day.
Don't sit around and sigh, and let
the world pass you by.
Get with it and stay with it, all you have
to do is try. "
Author Unknown"
Just a thought
Old is a totally different lifestyle. Old looking individuals, and, by old looking I am referring to a mental state, not necessarily your appearance, are usually looking in their rear view mirror. They feel their best days are gone. Their thought process is usually retirement and whether they are going to have enough in their golden years. Retirement is an atrocious word in the dictionary. There is a negative connotation attached to it. To me it means you are done growing. And, I hate to inform you but if you are done growing, the next stage of your life is death. If you are done growing, you become useless. That is the stage where you become a burden on your loved ones.
The question is how do you want to live your life, regardless of age? I remember leaving a grocery store once with my wife and our two young daughters and as I was pushing the cart to our vehicle, I started picking up speed and jumping on the cart where your feet are off the ground and just enjoying the ride. My wife and daughters were laughing but my wife overheard a little girl asking her mom, "mom why can't I do that?" And, her mom's response was " because grown ups should not do that, besides you can get hurt." I was unaware, that grown ups could not do that activity or that I can get hurt! I do not recall reading anywhere that as I get physically older, I have to forgo having fun in life.
Life brings you what you desire. Whether it is good, bad, forward or backward looking. So, why not always look forward? I submit to you that maybe the retirement mindset should be changed with a "career change," way of looking at this specific time in your life. If you look at your "retirement," more as a career change, it becomes forward looking. It is similar to looking at it as a professional athlete moving on from his playing days to a career in the broadcast booth or a career in a business venture. Or a lawyer or doctor, moving on to a different career after their time of providing services terminate, either by choice or by nature. I leave you with a poem on point titled "Staying Young"
"I've something to say to you older folks,
and you young folks listen too,
for what I'm about to say, will some day
apply to you.
I know that some of you older folks
are happily retired,
and have no ties to bind you, and work
is no longer required.
So you're sitting around in idleness,
each day becomes a bore.
You're beginning to start thinking,
there's nothing worth living for.
You'd like to be in some business,
but think it's too late to begin,
well, I'll tell you about a business,
that all of you can be in.
Be in the business of staying young,
make staying young a career,
don't live in the past, plan a future,
look forward to each added day.
Don't sit around and sigh, and let
the world pass you by.
Get with it and stay with it, all you have
to do is try. "
Author Unknown"
Just a thought