I received the following hilarious video from a friend and laughed out loud.
I heard one time that ” Wrinkles will only go where the smiles have been.” I might have added a couple more wrinkles after watching that video I tell you. As I contemplated the smiles provided by this video I mulled over getting old. You know I don’t know about you, but old age just kind of snuck up on me. One day I was in the prime of my life coming and going in the frenzy of a very full life and then the frenzy all but dissipated, my hair turned white, and the wrinkles got deeper. A friend asked the other day how I was enjoying retirement, (if you want to call it that). I responded that before I retired I was extremely busy doing things that were necessary that I didn’t necessarily want to do like jumping on a plane week after week. But after retirement I have remained extremely busy but now I’m doing the things that I want to do. I cannot sit around idle, and I fill the day with the things I love.
I don’t relish the aches and pains associated with growing old, but I can say without reservation that the longer I live, the more beautiful life becomes. Old Abe Lincoln once said, “In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” I have lived a full life. I’ve done some things terribly wrong and some things wonderfully right. I have tried not to replicate the mistakes and each year have made some progress in living the life God wants me to live. My life becomes more beautiful each day I’m above ground.
If you are depressed and down and out you might try living for the moment and quit worrying about the “what ifs. God insisted that we trust and rely upon Him and to forget about trying to control every situation ourselves. Don’t go through life angry. Forgive yourself and those who have done you wrong. Don’t live with that toxicity dwelling in your mind. For heaven’s sake find humor in life and yes laugh at yourself. I can watch humorous videos like the one above all day long on YouTube. Don’t take life and yourself too seriously. Be curious I watch documentaries and research things like AI that I don’t understand and try my utmost to learn new things, it helps keep me young and informed. Exercise, exercise, exercise. They are calling me the miracle man at rehab after my rotator cuff surgery because of the speed at which I have recovered. I attribute my miraculous recovery to exercise and hard work on the farm, fishing, hunting, visiting family and friends and to the many prayers of folks all over the world. Seek out friends and do things together. I once heard that if you go to a party and sit in a corner by yourself you shouldn’t expect to have a good time. Be friendly and don’t be shy, remember church is a great place to meet new friends. Finally, I love to meditate and pray. Sometimes I do it while riding on my tractor, fishing, hunting, or just going out in my yard at 3:00 a.m. and staring at God’s magnificent creation. I tell God multiple times every day of my life how grateful I am for all that he does.
Getting old isn’t all that bad when you look at it like I do. I view each day I’m alive as a gift. As you age there will be periods of both joy and stress. It’s important to build your perseverance and learn to cope with change. Aging in the Bible is said to be a sign of experience. The Lord promises His continued love and concern for the elderly. Isaiah 46:4 “I will be your God throughout your lifetime — until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.
Don’t forget you have a lifetime of information filed away in that beautiful mind. I have young people seek me out routinely asking for advice on any number of subjects. I delight in helping them and providing counsel that might help them to make the right decisions.
Deuteronomy 32:7
Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.