When my daughter Emily was about a month old I remember telling my father that I couldn't wait until she could sit up. He told me not to wish her life away; to which I either literally or figuratively rolled my 25 year old eyes. What did THAT mean?
I so totally understand his sentiments now. Emily is now 32! What? How did that happen? Tonight I read my alumni magazine from St. Olaf -I graduated in 1978...35 years....how did THAT happen?
You know the years have gone by when you skip marriages and births and career changes, and skip to deaths, in the alumni magazine. It is morbid, but true. And then when you sigh a breath of relief to realize nobody you know is on the list.
The other shocking thing I read was the obituaries of two profs that were "newbies "when I started college. Huh?
So...how do you continue to live your life when you know the inevitable ending?
Fake it. Live like you have forever. Take the chances. Spend the money. Take the trips. Ride the horses. (Okay. Riding a horse is on my bucket list.)
I've learned there is a fine line between planning for the future and living your life without regret.
Glenn lived his life. He understood the balance very well. I was the worrier ...he just lived life without much worry. He never got his Ford F150 pickup truck, but he had many other cool vehicles.
I always thought his weakness was his desire to live in the present.
I now think it was his strength.
Lessons on the journey.
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