"Life After 50"

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Added: Sun. Jan 24, 2010 8:15pm
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WMKV 89.3 FM

AND WMKVFM.ORG ON THE INTERNET

 “LIFE AFTER 50” COL FOR

JAN. 25/10 ON AIR

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         LIKE YOU, I RECEIVE MANY EMAILS THAT TOO OFTEN CLOG UP MY SCHEDULE. MANY ARE ITEMS SOMEONE FINDS  AMUSING, INTERESTING, FUNNY, OR INFORMATIVE, SO PASSES THEM ALONG TO ME. I’M GRAFEFUL. MANY ARE GREAT. BUT LATELY I FOUND I WAS INCREASINGLY ZAPPING MOST UNREAD, BECAUSE THERE ISN’T ENOUGH TIME TO READ THEM ALL.

WRONG.

ONE OF THEM RECENTLY MADE ME GRAFEUL I DIDN’T DELETE IT. IT MADE ME THINK INSTEAD. IN A WAY ITS MESSAGE WAS PROFOUND.

 IT WAS ANOTHER ESSAY ON A THEME I’D PROPOSED FOR YEARS TO ELDERS: SEIZE THE MOMENT, THE DAY, AND THE HOUR. THAT MOMENT MAY BE ALL YOU HAVE.

THIS PARTICULAR EMAIL BEGGED ME AND THOSE READING IT NOT PUT OFF SOMETHING THAT MAY BRING JOY, JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVEN’T TIME, OR HAVEN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT, OR DIDN’T WANT TO DIVERT FROM YOUR DAILY ROUTINE.

LIKE WHAT?  THIS PARTICULAR EMAIL AUTHOR  WONDERED HOW MANY WOMEN ON THE TITANIC PASSED UP LUSCIOUS DESSERTS AT DINER THAT FATEFUL NIGHT IN ORDER TO CUT BACK ON CALORIES?

 OR THE WOMAN WHO TURNED DOWN A RARE SPUR-OF-THE-MOMENT DINNER INVITATION FROM HER HUSBAND BECAUSE SHE, THE WIFE, ALREADY HAD THAWED OUT THAT NIGHT’S DINNER MEAT? HAD SHE NOT HEARD OF REFRIGERATION? OR THAT TIME WHEN YOUR ADULT KIDS DROP IN TO TALK BUT YOU HUSH THEM UP AND TOLD THEM TO WAIT BECAUSE YOU WERE WATCHING A FAVORITE TV SHOW?

INSTEAD: SEIZE THE MOMENT.

THIS EMAIL  SAID, “WE TEND TO LIVE ON A SPARSE DIET OF PROMISES WE MAKE TO OURSELVES WHEN ALL THE CONDITIONS ARE PERFECT.”  OF COURSE, CONDITIONS NEVER PERFECT.

HAVE YOU EVER IN YOUR MATURE YEARS ASKED YOURSELF WHAT YOU HAVE TO SHOW FOR YOUR LIFE?  HAVE YOU BUILT YOUR ALLOTTED TIME ON EARTH ON SAND MOUNDS OF SELF-PROMISES SUCH AS “I’M GOING TO” AND “SOMEDAY I’LL DO THAT?” BUT OU NEVER DO?

I LOVE THE EMAIL STORY ONE WOMAN TOLD OF CONFESSING TO NOT ALLOWING ICE CREAM TO TOUCH HER SLIM LIPS IN 10 YEARS. SHE SAID IF SHE DID IT WAS THE SAME AS APPLYNG ICE CREAM DIRECTLY TO HER STOMACH WITH A SPATULA, ELMINATING THE DIGESTIVE PROCESS.

SO WHAT DID SHE DO IN ONE GREAT SELF-DISCOVERY MOMENT? SHE STOPPED HER CAR, BOUGHT A TRIPLE DECKER ICE CREAM, SAYING THAT IF SHE PLOWED HER CAR INTO A CEMENT WALL THAT DAY SHE WOULD HAVE DIED HAPPY.

THE POINT OF ALL THIS IS SIMPLY THIDS. EACH DAY DO  SOMETHING YOU WANT TO DO, NOT SOMETHING YOU SHOULD DO OR WILL DO WHEN YOU HAVE TIME.  IF YOU WERE TOLD YOU HAD ONLY ONE MORE DAY TO LIVE, WHO WOULD YOU DO, WHO WOULD YOU CALL, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

THINK ABOUT THAT.

SEIZE THE MOMENT. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

THIS EMAIL ENDED WITH THIS WISDOM: “WHEN YOU HURRY THROUGH YOUR DAY IT IS LIKE AN UNOPENED GIFT… THROWN AWAY. LIFE IS NOT A RACE. TAKE IT SLOWER. HEAR THE MUSIC… BEFORE THE SONG IS OVER.”        

I MIGHT ADD: AMEN.