Life Perspectives - Affinitas Publishing

What Does Skeet Shooting Have to Do with Living Well?

Prepare for a long and eventful life, and you will have it. This has been my experience. I knew that there would come a day when I would retire from working for a paycheck. And so, it came. One must consider how to make this transition and remain vital, vigorously-engaged and connected by planning early and continuously. Hobbies are an important part of this “second” act.

When I am asked, “How are you?” My response is, “Too young for Medicare, and too old for the women to care.” (OK – not true on both counts!) I am on Medicare, and I share a loving, romantic relationship. I thought about the situation described by this joke, which rarely escapes a laugh.

We may develop good habits, scientifically proven as the below are, with living well, well past working for a living, by practicing:

Gratefulness – Are we historically, emphatically and most remarkably born in the greatest country in history? Yes! Here, dreams do come true.
Exercising – This is for health, but it is exercising the human condition, the whole body, mind, and spirit, which are the elements of thriving. Learn to thrive to be 100; many of us will achieve this milestone.
Meditation – Just 10 minutes every morning can have a daily impact for a lifetime.

There Are Two Sides to Everything

There are two sides to everything.

I happened to be clearing COVID questions before an eye examination yesterday. The “gatekeeper” was decrying the state of the pandemic. I merely said, “Well, we don’t have the black death, dengue fever, yellow fever, scurvy and a few others.” A fellow off to the side, in the sourest way, growled, “Yeah! tell that to all the people who have died.” Ah me, I wish I knew one thing as well as this guy knows everything, they say. I saved my breath and am sure Cicero would have done the same.

We can think of things one dimensionally – my or no way. In other words, we can focus on the downside of our nearly minute-to-minute struggles with obstacles, or we can see the other side. How about beginning your study of how it is to live the Good Life and perhaps reading Cicero on growing old? We can view our eventuality as a horrible prospect with a river of constant fear, or we can see that growing old is a real privilege and not so bad after all. We all do it; how we do it matters. Plan for growing old with vigor and vitality, and you will.