How Did We Get Here So Quickly?

I remember June of 1975 – free at last…

Or so I thought…

It was the last day of school in my senior year. I roared out the parking lot in my Mustang and headed off to the future. Graduation would be June 15th at Cole Field House at the University of Maryland in College Park. Mid-June would prove to be hot and humid, and Cole Field House was not air-conditioned in those days. I was sweaty and we all were miserable. We were in our caps and gowns in a very regimented environment and there were more than 900 of us. It would prove to be a long day.

WTOP (WUSA) News Anchor, Gordon Peterson, spoke at our graduation, offering inspiring words most of us probably never heard. We were eager to get our diplomas and get out of the heat. Although it seemed a very liberating time, it was but the beginning of the rigors of adult life. Each of us had a lot to learn.

I sure did…

Headed to my Senior Prom in 1974…

Had I been able to see the future, I would have been terrified and paralyzed as a result. God doesn’t allow us to see the future. Seems unfair now doesn’t it. However, had we been able to see the future, we would have done something even stupider. At 19, I thought I had become a man. In the eyes of the law, sure… In reality, not a chance. There were plenty of mistakes and foolishness ahead at the University of Hard Knocks. There would be job losses, failed marriages, kids, car crashes, illnesses, losses, and a few things I haven’t thought of that it would be best to forget.

There are also the blessings, no matter how small, we should embrace and treasure, though we tend to forget to do that in the chaos of daily life.

So here we are at the other end of life, which seemed way off in the future some 50-60 years ago, wondering how to live out the rest of our lives. Maybe you are right where you want to be, surrounded by the love of family and friends. If you are like most of us, you have your share of regrets. Opportunities missed. Friends who are gone that you wish you’d spent more time with. Maybe you’re fighting health issues, wishing you were younger – wondering what it would feel like if you were 21 again.

Mankind has been humming the same tune for generations – oh to be young again. It’s the same old saw – searching for the elusive fountain of youth. All that said, I will say this – I am okay where I am in life. I’ve had a good run and enjoyed the love of family and friends – in fact, more than I’ve had a right to have. I’ve been butt stupid and have left my share of rubble in the rear-view mirror. Thoughtless and selfish would be an even better way to describe it. I could elaborate, but why?

All we have is our memories of our pasts and a vision of what we’d like our future to be. So, what about that? Unless you are facing a terminal illness, with very little time left, carve out your dream for the future and endeavor to work a plan. Doesn’t have to be all at once – but in baby steps toward the goal.

I’ve always viewed Life as a book with chapters – with each symbolic of a moment in time. Some good. Some not so good. Best we look at Life that way. As we head into the twilight, it is best to bask in the good memories and do our best to abandon the bad. The present is all we have. Best to live in the moment.