Somebody very close to me said something amazing over the weekend. It went a little bit like this:
“So, you’re about 40 now. So you have ANOTHER LIFE to live now before you die”.
Think about that for a minute. If you’re fortyish now, you should have another life to live before you die.
Let’s not talk about mortality, that’s not what this article is about. Of course you might fall under a bus tomorrow, or you might succumb to one of the many things that are out to get you. Let’s just assume that isn’t going to happen and that you’ll live to your allotted years.
What this means is that you owe it to yourself to live your life. I know people my age who have fought to get to where they are now, and are acting like it’s the beginning of the end. Slowing down. Watching their kids grow up and wondering what to do when they leave home. There’s a certain sadness about the future, a fear of the unknown. I’ve read that family breakdowns are very common once the kids have flown the nest and I’m not at all surprised. Family life is hard, it’s challenging and it takes a lot of effort. When the family dynamic changes most people will find that difficult.
So be ready. Be ready to live your Another Life. Make plans.
Adapt those plans: they’re YOUR plans.
Include the people you love the most, if you can. They’re the ones who really matter.
There’s a saying: “You only have one life. Live it.” Well, maybe at my age, I think it’s best to think that actually, we have two. I hope that your first life has been full of amazing memories.
Now make sure you live the second one, too.
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