It's weird how ideas come to us during the middle of the night. Heaven knows where this thought came from, but let's just say hypothetically my life span will be 100 years. Okay, then on my next birthday I will subtract the number of years I've lived, so in other words I'll be turning 36. Yowza! That thought set me back.......there ain't that many years left. And, who's to say I'm gonna get 100.
When we turned 50, we got our first letter from AARP (American Associal of Retired Persons). As I remember, we felt offended because along with that letter came the harsh reality that, yes, we are going to be entering an era of life that is frightening. Well, okay, so we joined AARP cuz it's membership fees are minimal. I think it's like $16 a year for the two of us. Now we're reaping some of the benefits by saving money on our house and car insurance through Hartford. Not only that, but we're very pleased with the telephone representatives that we are actually able to connect with. And, that ain't no small matter these days. http://www.aarp.org/
Yesterday we got an email from AARP advising that if we present our AARP card at a Denny's Restaurant during the hours of 4 p.m. and 10 p.m., we get a 20% discount for the total bill and coffee is $1 for us and our guests. Retirees like bargains. Our SS checks aren't made out of elastic. http://www.dennys.com/
Now we get other kinds of distressing mail. Yup, we get letters from crematoriums. The letters drip with sugary concerns by listing what they'd charge to put us in an oven and turn us into ashes. Now, I'm here to say that's no way to start one's day. Thus far those letters have been tossed with angst. But, sooner or later we do have to face those chilling decisions, and we'll want to get all that kind of stuff arranged ourselves rather than leave it for others on the 'next of kin' list.
Egad, where did all this come from? I like to talk about good things in my blogs, but if I focused only on the "good," then others may think that my life is always rosey and without its cares. Life can be the pits, or it can be really quite a spectacular thing, and a long time ago I vowed to search deeply for every and any thing that lifts my spirit. Doesn't matter if it's a kind word, a simple gesture, a puppy's lick, a field of corn growing in the spring, a tiny flower.......life is an endless stream of good if we are able to learn how to filter out the things that hurt us. Sometimes it feels pretty impossible to do that, but if I keep at it and keep my nose ahead of me, put one foot in front of the other, I've overcome the sadnesses of my heart. I've also had to withdraw from persons and places in order to maintain my sense of peace and tend to my business. Without fail, through my life, every hardship and pain I've endured has opened a door that led me into refreshing places that now I can only call endearing gifts. Kinda reassures me that there is a Big Design and no matter how many years we live, all that's asked of us is to fulfill our assigned tasks and then be put to rest for the next person to take over where we left off.
Some days my mind veers off on these philosophical trollies. Other days my mind is sillier than a bedbug. And, so goes the mind of a living soul in search of the age-old question........why are we really here?