Venturous Randy Posted November 16, 2014 #1 Posted November 16, 2014 I can sure identify with this one. RandyA LIFE'S BACK NINE. I FIRST STARTED READING THIS EMAIL & WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS EMAIL IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK. READ SLOWLY! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 THE DAYS AND YEARS AHEAD. 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 ... Esp. 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 EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.
naturbar Posted November 16, 2014 #3 Posted November 16, 2014 How true that is Venturous.... Life is a marathon not a sprint....those last miles can be torture or miraculous !
eagleeye Posted November 16, 2014 #4 Posted November 16, 2014 I'm planning on an under par round in the back nine. Thanks Randy for a great read.
cowpuc Posted November 16, 2014 #6 Posted November 16, 2014 I was sitting in the Hospital about 4 hours ago waiting for my next shot at the MRI machine.. While sitting there yapping with Tip I noticed our little Tablet sticking out of her purse.. I snuck it out, and logged onto VR (of course) and this thread was the first thing I noticed!! Talk about PERFECT timing Randy - THANK YOU!!! Upon reading that email I got thinking about allllllllll the times I said to my wife and kids throughout the years that we were going to sieze every moment cause they go by so fast,, in a blink - they are gone.. We chose to live large while we could,, so to speak.. That thought led Tip and I into a conversation about all the great memories we have created throughout the years,,, the family times, the things we do and have done and, of course,, all the great riding we are able to do together... We also yakked about the deep point in that email of how quickly the time has gone by and how cool it is that we actually are able to chose to do some pretty crazy stuff still,, as mentioned,, slower - little more painful at times - lose more stuff off the back of the bike and be more careful of what we eat BUT, as the letter says,,, keep going cause ya never really know when it may be over ... I reminded Tip of a recent article I had read about some guy complaining about guys in their midlife crisis stealing the "cool factor" from the "real" bikers.. How the writer had mentioned these posers going out, buying a new bike - biker clothes - taken the bike to a shop and had em install loud pipes all in an effort to be "cool" - somehow "stealing" the cool factor from the "real" cool bikers.. Than a couple years later, selling the bike and buying a Cage proving that the dude really was just a poser.. I told her that my response to that summation was: the guy the writer was speaking of may very well have spent his whole life raising a family, paying bills and now feels he has a small window of time to sieze a very special moment,, another chance to pursue happiness before time runs out and I saw nothing wrong with it... This is a really good thread Randy and perfect in timing!! Thank you for sharing this!!
Eck Posted November 16, 2014 #7 Posted November 16, 2014 Thanks for posting this Mike .... Enjoyed reading it, and I can see me in it
DragonRider Posted November 17, 2014 #8 Posted November 17, 2014 Wow, Randy, that was inspirational and a very good read, I relate to it totally. Thanks for sharing.
mraf Posted November 18, 2014 #10 Posted November 18, 2014 In the words of mister Scrooge "BAH HUMBUG". I'm playing Putt-Putt.
Dano Posted November 19, 2014 #11 Posted November 19, 2014 Thanx for that read Randy, I got some of the memories but they were jumbled around pretty good 3 years ago!
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