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My Take

Golden years

Mark McGee
Posted 2/26/22

I heard someone say the other day as we get older our major hobby becomes visits to doctors. Well, I have a lot of hobbies. I don’t need to add a medical one. But it looks like I have, at least so far this year.

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My Take

Golden years

Posted

I heard someone say the other day as we get older our major hobby becomes visits to doctors. Well, I have a lot of hobbies. I don’t need to add a medical one. But it looks like I have, at least so far this year.  

Last week I turned 65 in the hospital. Celebrating birthdays have never been an important part of my life. But don’t get me wrong. I am more than happy to reach this landmark of age though it happened much too quickly.  

Like most people I want to live as long as possible. The word I want to emphasize from that previous sentence is “live.” Living is great. But struggling to get through these latter years of life sitting in the house and watching TV while the world passes by, and your mind slowly shuts down are not elements of “living” for me. There is still so much I want to do and time is not on my side.  

I have always loved traveling. I was blessed at a young age to travel extensively both in and out of the country. But I still have places I want to go for the first time and cities and historical sites I want to visit again.  

Writing has been a job, a hobby and therapy for me. I want to be able to continue writing with a couple of books in the planning stages. Just existing isn’t enough for me.  

I know there are many who do struggle physically and/or mentally every day. I understand there are many who have lived most of their lives with physical challenges. I empathize and have sympathy for them. God has been incredibly good to me in terms of my health issues through the years. There is one more challenge ahead next month and I pray he will continue to watch over me.  

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the “Golden Years” refer to living to an advanced age. Notice that word “living.” Supposedly the term was first used in the media in 1945, but I don’t know how you can prove that without a doubt.  

Right now, in the spirit of the just completed Winter Olympics in China, it feels more like the “Bronze Years.” But I have faith I will be able to get back to the top of the awards platform.  

Last week I heard a duo singing a song with the theme of “life is now.” Of course, we have our past, and I know I spend way too much time thinking about what I could or should have done differently in so many areas of my life. But that time is gone and I’m not going to get it back. The song points out there are no guarantees of having a future so all we have is now.  

We are intrigued by the future because it is still pristine waiting for us to do something with it. Maybe thinking about what we are going to do the next day, the next week or the next year is what makes the future so enticing despite a thick layer of uncertainty hanging over it.  

Very little has gone as I hoped so far this year. But I am going to try to do two things as I navigate my 65th year. I am going to stop dwelling on my past mistakes. I am going to take the future as God gives it to me. It is time to simply dwell in the moment.