A Pirate Looks At Fifty.....

[ssneade]

yep. in just a few short weeks, i'll be a half century. where did the time go? what have i accomplished so far? what does life have in store for me? these are just a few of the questions i've been asking myself lately. is this the time to take stock of life so far and slow down a little, or do i need to wait and keep up this balls to the wall pace i've been running for the past thirty years? i'm in pretty good health, but some days i seem tired, some days i feel twenty again. i don't wanna grow up, but i guess everybody has to at some point. the question is: when?............

[jerryrlitton]

You hit the nail right on the head. I am 52, been there and done that. I need to tell you this though, in my opinion if you slow down you will stop. Growing old ain't for sissies for sure. However, we do need to appreciate the little things more and do not take relationships for granted. Give your knowledge/experiences away, do not keep it to yourself. Tell stories. In that respect you will live forever. Take care of yourself too. Without you there is no way you can take care of someone else. 20 again? Someone did say "youth is wasted on the young". Maybe so....I just want a sailboat.

me

[bubb2]

Age is a funny thing. Living knowing you seen more sunsets than you are going to see new sun rises will make you question your time here. In my case, I almost checked out in march. Massive heart failure! Comatose for almost 3 weeks. Woke up to find out I have a new Lvad (heart pump) in my chest. Undergoing medical testing to be placed on the heart transplant list.

Ya, life is funny stuff, but you got to make the most of it every day.

[ssneade]

dang, bubb. i hope everything works out fer ya. i've had some near misses in my life so far, mostly self inflicted. i gotta tell ya, if i'd known i was gonna live this long, ida taken better care of myself. oh well, live and learn, live and learn........

jer, since i gave up alcohol, i do seem to notice and appreciate the smaller things i used to overlook in life. i have a helluva lot better relationship with my kids, the dog's quit tryin' to bite me, my wife doesn't bitch as much and there aren't half the a$$holes on the road these days. where'd they go?.......

[svHyLyte]

Fifty!?! Damn son, you've just gotten to the point where you know enough to do well and keep yourself out'a trouble (for the most part). Fifty's a great age. It's the point at which you've learned not to care much about what other people's opinion might be but to do what works for you; and, not to do the really stupid stuff that the "young" do--often to their own dismay. Jeeze, I'd take fifty again in a heartbeat! Or fifty-five for that matter. Good for you. Have a happy Birthday. You deserve it!

[Undine]

I second what HyLyte said! Fifty was a great year. I really didn't notice during the year. But as I look back I see that it was special. Now as I look at a fast approaching 62, it is the year I would go back to.

[eherlihy]

Happy Birthday ssneade!

I just passed that marker about a month ago.

Here's what I've learned (from fortune cookies that I've had and kept) over the years:

Your happiness is intertwined with your outlook on life.

You cannot love life until you have lived the life you love.

You can only be young once, but you can be immature forever.

Perceived failure is oftentimes success trying to be born in a bigger way.

Take some time and listen to your own inner wisdom.

and my favorite...

You are not ten pounds overweight, you are three months pregnant.

[ssneade]

You are not ten pounds overweight, you are three months pregnant........

hey, i love kids. if i could afford'em, i'd have a houseful. my youngest is nine now. he'll be grown before you know it. but i gotta grandson now, so it's all good........