Getting Older

There was a book I once read called "Life Begins at 40". I think this was written during the 1920s and 1930s. One of the first things it said was "If you want your life to begin at 40 you have to find a way to maintain your physical and mental health and your relationships if possible as well has have your finances basically in order in order to have much of a future past 40. I sort of found this statement sort of depressing even though after 40 I sort of found it in reality sort of true also though not exactly in the way the book was talking about because it was written likely around the time of the Great Depression when things were sort of different at least when I was 40 in 1988. Now that statement is probably truer  than when I was 40 myself.

Strangely enough, in my own life getting a heart virus and almost dying and being forced by life to either die or retire at age 50 was one of the best things that ever happened to me in retrospect because it forced me to slow down and retire when I would still be young enough and flexible enough to adapt to such a thing. So, in this sense almost dying at 49 and 50 saved my life in the long run. And God being helpful enough to have my wife's and my finances in enough order for me to be forced to retire at 50 also was helpful. It took me about 5 years to get used to retirement. It isn't the best but it is better than being dead. People look at you a little different after you retire. The are simultaneously envious while at the same time being horrified that you are retired. It's a very funny thing with people who haven't retired yet. My statement about retirement is this: "The good news is that I'm retired and the bad news is that I'm retired." It's very much a double edged sword like truth is. It can be the best thing that ever happened to you while sometimes also being the worst at the same time. And you are never quite sure how you are going to feel about everything until it actually happens. So, Am I happy I'm still alive? Yes. I'm happy I still get to see my wife and kids. However, most everyone my age or older that I knew growing up is now dead or dying now. So, that to is a two edged sword that I didn't expect to experience. I guess I thought most people died older than 70 these days. So how come so many people I know die between 35 and 60? I don't know the answer to that question. But I do know that the people I know who still have their health and brains past 80 and into their 90s all still work about 4 hours a day at their business or hobbies or something. You have to have something to focus upon like gardening, painting, Maintaining your home or portfolio or landscape or friends and relatives or whatever it is. Everyone needs something to keep them focused enough to keep on going or else they just go to pieces in one way or another. Being retired is as much of a job as any job or business I ever owned was. And maybe that's a good thing.