the most important question if you want to survive to old age:

 How do I survive this?

Of course there is more to life than this like relationships and family but beyond relationships and family this is the most important question to be asking of yourself in the many situations you find yourself in especially after 40 or 50 years of age.

40 to 50 years of age is a dividing line. For me, my first rude awakenings happened when I was 37 years old.

When I was 37 my father passed away for one thing in August I believe. Then in December we as a family went to India, Nepal, Thailand and Japan from December of 1985 until April of 1986. So, my wife then and our 3 kids ages 10 to 14 went to Asia for around 4 or more months.

However, the things that really changed me in how I acted in my life started with a rock climbing adventure at Garrapata near Big Sur when I believed I could still rock climb like I did in my 20s free style without ropes (because I was climbing a cliff over looking the ocean. So I believed (you notice I said believed here?) that I could climb this cliff free style without a rope and alone at 37. This was my first mistake. So, as I climbed this rock cliff free style suddenly all the muscles pulled off the back of my right knee from a move I could have made in my 20s (but obviously not at 37). 

So, I found myself in extreme pain falling towards the ocean. However, this isn't where this ended because I could no longer use my right leg at all for swimming because of this injury. So, now I'm in ocean water between 54 and 57 degrees which took my breath away and I can no longer use my right leg at all and the waves are carrying me forward over some rocks that I have to avoid along the way to the shore. At first between the cold water and losing my breath from the cold water I was wondering if I could actually survive the swim (with one leg not working) to the shore.

I arrived on the shore unable to walk but luckily my family had been looking at a dead whale on the beach so they came and rescued me but climbing the stairs up to Highway 1 where our car was parked was pure hell with a leg not working at all.

So, what important lesson did I learn here? I learned I was no longer in my 20s and would never be again.

And the people who don't survive these lessons like I almost didn't don't survive to old age to begin with.