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Good Morning Ed (I'm guessing that's your real name 😉
I absolutely love your post! Thank you so much for sharing. I do have a question (which is going to sound rather weird based on your very positive attitude). Are you able to live "one day at a time" or now that there's an expectancy of 91 do you find that you mentally think "Oh, I've 'only' got 16 more years?"
I think what really hit me about aging and life in general was when in mid February our older daughter called and frantically said that she'd just come home from work and her husband had died in bed. He was just 61. The sorrow she's going through has been such a stark reminder that we just never know what "tomorrow" will bring. His death and my very difficult decision to finally retire from a career that I've absolutely loved for 43 years has been more than a little challenging. I'm just trying to make new decisions as to how best to live each and every day.
Once again .... I REALLY appreciate you sharing with me.
Replies to "Good Morning Ed (I'm guessing that's your real name ;-) I absolutely love your post! Thank..."
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Dear PrCrowe-
I've not had a shock like the death of your son-in-law., and that is a very recent shock for you.
The closest for me was the surprising early deaths of high school friends, which still disturb me when I think of them, since I mostly remember them young and healthy.
For the most part I don't find the "mood consistency" of my life is very different now than it has ever been. I have happy days, mostly, and sometimes I worry or wish I'd done something differently.
Since I like making, fixing and designing things, especially musical instruments, I almost always have interesting objective problems to solve, and my dog and I have our agreements about our daily routines, so if I slip into a grumpy mood, it rarely lingers.
My wife has been ill for several years. I don't want to say much about this except we do have some hope that she's getting better.
Taking my wife to doctors and hospitals has given me many chances to see people who are very sick, and I can imagine now and then what the worst would be, especially if we were both ill at the same time. I do have long term care insurance and some hopefully safe investments.
I recently completed the Nolo Press workbook _Get It Together_ and arranged and paid for for my cremation with the Neptune Society.
I've just gotten _The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning_, which I believe was mentioned in Mayo Connect. I like it.
The more I simplify my life, the better I feel about it.
The kids live far away and have busy lives. If something happens to me I want it to be as easy as possible for them to clean up after me.
In my new business I have a lot to learn. I've invented something very beautiful, but don't know if I can produce it a price people will pay. But that is the first part of the business plan.
It took me quite a while to really give up my earlier career, and I have had to intentionally establish new purposes for my life. Some have been successful, some not...pretty much like it's always been!