Survival

I was thinking today what I tend to be proudest about in my life. I think I'm proudest of just having survived it all. 2nd I'm proud that all my kids are healthy and alive and doing whatever makes them happy. 3rd I'm grateful to be happily married and retired so most of the really serious stressors of life (except for health) are behind me.

So, what allows a person to survive to 65? I think for me it was a lot about genetics of my family. There always was this attitude among my father and grandfather exactly like, "I"m going to survive even if I'm the last person on earth and everyone else is dead." This is a very pioneer way of looking at things and "Yes" my family have been in the U.S. on my Dad's side since 1725 when they came over from Switzerland through Germany and England. So, there is a homespun backwoods "survival" attitude coming from my father's side for around 300 years now. So, I guess I have this too. When things got financially tough for my 2nd wife and I and our three kids (one from my first marriage and 2 from her first marriage in 1980 we used our savings and bought 2 1/2 acres at 4000 feet on remote land with a spring and built an A-Frame to survive that 10% unemployment recession then in the early 1980s by selling one of our vehicles (building supplies were much cheaper then relative to the average person's income).

So, I guess what allowed me to survive now 3 marriages, multiple recessions, 3 biological kids, 2 step kids, 2 God Daughters etc. etc. is never giving up no matter what happened. Oh, you might cry a night here or there as things got really rough. But always understanding there is another day and things always can change and get better no matter what is happening now.

For me, I think being able to say to God, "This is just too much for me to deal with God. Let me die in my sleep." And then by morning you did (die in your sleep) and you are reborn in God's image the next morning a completely different person ready to face another day! It isn't easy but it IS possible to survive to be 65 or 100 or 150 or 200 or more these days. Scientifically and medically it is possible if you want to. But, you have to be willing to do it.