Redemption
Here’s a quick prolog: I’m fine, and this article
isn’t my eulogy.
I’m never quite sure whether I should offer
congratulations or condolences to those who
have arrived at their mid-60—that threshold to our twilight
years of life. I doubt that, if during those more “youthful” years
of my own life I ever grasped the meaning of such words as
mortality or retirement. Those were terms reserved for grandpa
and other old geezers eagerly awaiting their grandchildren’s
visits or any other gratifying diversion. Just how we greet those
well-seasoned later years seems to depend on our personal
belief systems, our health, any remaining support groups, and a
genuine acceptance of the meaning of our mortality.
Larry Wonderling
Now in my 80’s, I actually realize that life on earth isn’t
forever after all. For me, it’s finally time to seize each precious
moment of my remaining earthly life. In fact, I’ve defined this
period, not as retirement, but my redemption. As I may have
mentioned before, retiring is too often a mundane succession
of disappointments in not having those exciting tomorrows
you had always imagined. Redemption, on the other hand, has
unleashed boundless opportunities, including the wonders of
new insights as I confront my mortality with an enlightening
grasp of the here and now. I have a deep gratitude for each day’s
pleasures and accomplishments, with happy caresses for Carol
and Katie, my family.
Once I began to view life as perhaps a preparation for an infinite
“something else,” I no longer experienced a longing for an
earthly future, because the joys of each day are now my future.
Such an epiphany has elevated my earthly existence to one of
constant wonderment and daily gratitude instead of waiting for
a more promising life tomorrow.
Rather than taking our petty grievances, power struggles,
and political disputes too seriously, I’m genuinely relieved in
realizing that no one understands the miracles that surround us
anyway. We can’t verify why we’re here, or even acknowledge
that our differences over other humans on our little planet are so
superficially petty. Perhaps I’m finally over our games of “one
upmanship” and those trivial rivalries between professions,
politics, nations, religions, even gangs.
As I happily acknowledge an eventual “something else”
beyond, I smile a lot, realizing our personal beliefs are all we
really have. So what can be more thrilling than cherishing each
day’s exciting opportunities that I once postponed for some
tomorrow?
You may already know that I’m a fan of George Santayana, a
pragmatic 20th century philosopher with, of course, a fine sense
of humor. I also admire his precise clarity in achieving such
conclusions as: “There’s no cure for birth or death, so enjoy the
interval.”
Larry Wonderling, Ph.D., Email: [email protected]
The first Independence Day celebration west of the Mississippi occurred
at Independence Creek and was celebrated by Lewis and Clark in 1805.
If good things lasted
forever would we
appreciate how precious
they are?
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