For all of you geezers here

[jnyork]

AND THEN IT IS WINTER




You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.



It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.



Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all.



I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.




But, here it is - the 'back nine' of my life and it catches me by surprise. How did I get here so fast?



Where did the years go and where did my youth go? I remember vividly seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that 'I was only on the first hole' and the 'back nine' was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is . . .my friends are retired and getting grey. They move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me, but, I see the great change. Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant . . . but like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become. Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore . . . it's mandatory!



Cause if I don't on my own free will, I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did! But, at least I know, that though I’m on the 'back nine,' and I'm not sure how long it will last, this I know for sure, that when it's over on this earth . . . it's over. A new adventure will begin!




Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done . . .things I should have done,



but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.




So, if you're not on the 'back nine' yet . . .let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think.



So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you’re on the 'back nine' or not! You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life . . .so,



live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember, and hope that



they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!




"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.



Make it a fantastic one.




LIVE IT WELL!




ENJOY TODAY!




DO SOMETHING FUN!




BE HAPPY!




HAVE A GREAT DAY!




Remember, "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver."




LIVE HAPPY IN 2014




LASTLY, CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING:




~Your kids are becoming you . . .but your grandchildren are perfect.




~Going out is good . . . Coming home is better.




~You forget names . . .But it's OK because other people forgot they even knew you.




~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything . . . especially golf.




~The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don't care to do them anymore.




~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep.




~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..




~You tend to use more 4 letter words . . . "what?" . .. . "when?". . . ” ???




~Now that you can afford expensive jewelry, it's not safe to wear it anywhere.




~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless."




~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.




~Everybody whispers.




~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet . . . 2 of which you will never wear.




~~~But Old is good in some things ~~~ Old Songs, Old Movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS




Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT

It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.




TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL BE FROM HERE ON OUT....SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

[plowboy 45]

[earlmck]

Hey, I can sure give you a "+1" on all that!

If I'd had any idea I would live this long I would certainly have taken better care of the carcass I've gotta' live in!

[Marvin S]

Much wisdom there. I'm knocking on 50 and beleive what you say.

[Sixgun]

I realized that back about when I turned 40. Made some changes in my life like quitting drinking. After that I disposed of everyone in my life who was annoying, liars, cheats, and generally parasites, including family members. No excuses, I told em all not to bother me anymore. I do to care what they or others think. Bye bye.

I have two very good friends and several hundred associates.

I live each day to the fullest, with no time for mindless entertainment, except playing here at Leverguns.

I'll be 60 this coming year and I feel like I'm way ahead of the game as I have lived 3 times as long as the soldiers who have died so I can enjoy this peaceful life. I shake the hand of everyone I meet when I come to find they have served this country.

Your right Jerry, life blows right by and it's up to each and everyone of us to saturate ourselves with quality life because if you snooze, you lose.-----6

[Griff]

I haven't entered the "back 9" yet. And if I have, don't tell me! I'm too busy feelin' young!

[Alphawolf45]

The way I say it- IF I live another 20 years this one is the best one of the bunch and don't waste it..
What I hate worse of all about getting older is losing all my close friends that have now died...And then there is my wife who is turning 60, a much different person than the girl I married 30 years ago.. I now see the argument for marrying much younger women.

[Sixgun]

The way I say it- IF I live another 20 years this one is the best one of the bunch and don't waste it..
What I hate worse of all about getting older is losing all my close friends that have now died...And then there is my wife who is turning 60, a much different person than the girl I married 30 years ago.. I now see the argument for marrying much younger women.

Ha! I'm in the same boat. If you want to light a fire under your better half's &*%, tell her what I told my wife....."when you turn 60, I'm trading you in for two 30's. ------------6

[OldWin]

It's true. I've started feeling a difference the last couple years. I'm not on any pills and in pretty good shape but I can't keep up with the kids anymore.
Big chunks of time just flew by. I don't really remember my 30's as we were busy raising three boys. I only worked three days a week for those ten years but was so busy it makes me tired just thinking of it. I don't lament the time lost because our boys have done well and we are proud of them. If I accomplish nothing else in this life I'm good.
That said, my wife and I are really enjoying this time in our life. She is my best friend.
I've been very blessed.

[Pete44ru]

.


Like Clint once said: "A man's got to come to terms with his limitations"...........................




.

[jazman]

Agreed. You only get today once, then it's gone. Life isn't a dress rehearsal, so do it up right. Carpe Diem!

[Canuck Bob]

Nice article, things change as we age. With me it has been one health thing after another. Embracing age and its hardships has really taken away the tendency to self pity. I take it as another hard and steep path to acknowledge my own mental and spiritual health needs. The easy path would be turning into an angry old man.

Cancer taught me that dyeing like a man was a learned skill when illness can hammer away at a guy for years. I pray every day for the strength and wisdom to love and support my family through my end days. I wouldn't mind waiting 20 more years for the day but that is not my call.

There are some highlights. I was a big strong guy as a kid and always owned a pickup. It has been years since anyone asked me to move their furniture or carry a piano. No-one would describe me as sensitive but with age I appreciate things that seemed foolish years ago. Don't get me wrong I'm not prancing around the house singing show tunes! Listening to my girls laughing literally sounds like angels singing and when the trees turn colour it is almost enough to make a grown man cry. And hunting season is still precious even though I don't hunt, go figure. A real great pleasure is hitting exactly were I aimed first shot from a cold barrel. Just because I'm older doesn't mean it isn't dangerous to try harming my family.

[olderndirt]

I have to agree with you. Just a few days from now I will hit 61, my twenties and thirties were a blur of trying to make a living. In my fifties I realized I had missed my kids growing up, worked too much and gone too much! Now I enjoy life with grandkids and children, I have a great wife to spend time with and if I could only get her to stop buying guns then I might be able to buy one for me!

It has been a pretty good life, I am in pretty good health and plan to enjoy what time I have left on this old rock.

Happy New Year to all!

[Pete44ru]

.


Darn ! My 60's are a blur..............



.

[Canuck Bob]

.


Darn ! My 60's are a blur..............



.

Checked your glasses lately, .

[Sixgun]

.Darn ! My 60's are a blur.............. .

Pete,
I had a physically demanding day today out in the woodpile, loading up the basement and the living room with wood, getting ready for a cold spell we are about to get.

Anyway, I came in the house, all miserable and tired, jumped on Leverguns and saw your post and spit up all kinds of funny looking stuff.

If it makes you feel any better, I remember my dad telling me as he was approaching his 80th birthday,(Which he did not make) he said to me while talking about life, "geeze, your just a spring chicken at 50 and if you think your 40's went fast, wait 'till you get in your seventies, they went by so fast I thought I was still in my sixties."

I don't know how threads get twisted around, but this post made me think of my dad. He was a good guy and wholly responsible for my severe indulgence in guns. Here he is at his last hunt in Colorado. My son is about to whack him with an 86.-------6
".

[Canuck Bob]

.Darn ! My 60's are a blur.............. .

Pete,
I had a physically demanding day today out in the woodpile, loading up the basement and the living room with wood, getting ready for a cold spell we are about to get.

Anyway, I came in the house, all miserable and tired, jumped on Leverguns and saw your post and spit up all kinds of funny looking stuff.

If it makes you feel any better, I remember my dad telling me as he was approaching his 80th birthday,(Which he did not make) he said to me while talking about life, "geeze, your just a spring chicken at 50 and if you think your 40's went fast, wait 'till you get in your seventies, they went by so fast I thought I was still in my sixties."

I don't know how threads get twisted around, but this post made me think of my dad. He was a good guy and wholly responsible for my severe indulgence in guns. Here he is at his last hunt in Colorado. My son is about to whack him with an 86.-------6
".

Now that is a real portrait. Nice story to share.

[Steelbanger]

My best friend of almost 50 years has Alzheimer's, still remembers me and everything we did years ago, right down to some of the conversations we had. He cannot remember my last visits though and knows nothing of current events. He avoids showering and all other personal grooming and looks like a madman, all whiskers, hair and dirty clothes.

I try to visit every month. On my last visit his wife thanked me for stopping by as she said when we talk it makes her feel better. She is about worn out wondering what he will be doing next. The last time he drove he ran a stop light, had an accident and demolished his truck. Luckily there were no injuries and of course he didn't use his seat belt.

Growing old with decent health is one thing but losing reality and mentally unable to do anything has to be the worst way to end your time on earth.

So, every day I pray for him and his wife too. She used to have a great sense of humor, very sarcastic and could roll her eyes and say volumes without opening her mouth. There is no more humor under their roof.

Be very thankful for what you have in your old age.

[Hawkeye2]

Sixgun, I did exactly what you did. If it weren't for my dogs I'd be awfully lonely though.