Observational Contemplations of a Sexagenarian Trailpoke.
I realize 66 is not old-old, but it is old. Given good health, financial stability, and the wisdom to act, you can assemble a life tailored to your own peculiar quirks and strengths. I have never been any risk taking adventurist chasing after adrenaline rushes. Once a competitive beast, decent at creative plans to get from point A to B, I prefer now, for the most part, to go from point A to point A the same route every day. Any detours are pestiferously vexatious. If we are ever creatures of habit, aging kind of ensures we become one. Most days I try to get a 3 mile walk in, either at the Arboretum, the Cantigny estate, or the forest preserve. I'll take Mother Nature over all the razzle-dazzle gadgets others thrive on any day. I'll take pensive communicating surrounded by nature over the verbal clatter of human gatherings---with precious few exceptions. I still enjoy select individual one on one conversations involving meaningful in depth discussions of varied matters with all sorts of people. August though, is a bit tough on my lifestyle, being outside can be quite oppressive in the heat, so am looking forward to September. Walking, reading, writing these musings, cooking, music, football, and an occasional trip to some nature setting defines a good life to me at this age. I avoid any pushing and shoving like the plague. The time for that stuff is over. Recently I have added 3 movies each week via Netflix, a neat deal where you select what you want from the comforts of home and zap, just like that the movies come to you. Usually 1 out of the three is a loser. Also, I am now taking two courses in college---well, sort of. The two courses are: Great Ideas of Philosophy (60 lectures) and the Philosophy of Liberation (8 lectures). All the lectures are on CDs so each morning I can lie in bed and listen to a lecture. No need to take notes because after each lecture I go to the course guidebook and for each lecture there are well organized notes on each lecture, so I just review them. The Professors are well known from major universities. Pretty soon I will have learned enough to die a little smarter. I already have some well entrenched philosophical ideas----like in the long run we are all dead. Having lived a reasonably good life I hope I can manage a good death.
The remaining time of the day I hope to form a miniature foundation called FANAFI (Find A Need And Fill IT) and provide some limited financial aid and encouragement to young post high school grads who face life with little if any support base. Whither this will go, how far, and most of the specifics, are yet to be worked out. Nothing in my life, by design at this point, is roaring along at high speed, including my 3 mile walks. My goal is to keep life simple, not get caught up in seeking contentment via piling 'stuff' higher and higher or expecting others to amuse/entertain me. I also am acutely aware of just how much misery and hardship there is in this world, embarrassed by the priorities of my own country, by my own blessings not all-together earned, and resigned to watching this monster American empire Humpty Dumpty, which Bush did not create, but put on the fast track to military attainment, fall off the pedestal; all the Kings horses and all the Kings men will not be able to put the pieces back together again. Such is the nature of this created evolutionary process---things change---time stays---WE GO. Maybe on my tombstone I will have carved, 'Pardon My Dust'.
