When I was a younger man I guided my own path. I made the decisions I wanted to make and walked the rode wherever it led me. I didn’t give too much consideration to how things turned out or what the consequences might be. If I made the decision to go in a certain direction, that’s how I would walk. Were all of my decisions the best? NO! But they were my decisions to make and I would make them. I didn’t have to have anyone hold my hand either. At times the winds were stiff and the going was difficult. But, I had made the decision and I would face whatever came.
When I walked in a younger man’s shoes I could dress myself and clean myself and was prepared to walk into the wind and deal with what would happen. But the one component of life that you can’t change: regardless of your wealth, your status, your position or anything else --- TIME! Before you know it another person is deciding what you will be wearing. They clean you up when it becomes necessary because you are no longer able to do so yourself.
When I wore a younger man’s shoes I would decide to go here or go there. I would not think twice about getting on a plane flying to the coast (either one) or even to Europe or some other place. It was never the money or the time that would make my decision for me. But wherever my heart chose to lead me that’s where I’d go. I would at times even inquire of others as to their recommendations on perhaps new places I could visit. Of course, in the end, it was always my decision when it came to the final choice of which location I would travel to: Or perhaps the decision would be to stay home and not travel at all.
When I wore a younger man’s shoes NO ONE told me what I could or couldn’t eat. My choices by many people were considered to be very “picky.” Yet they were what I wanted to eat! And my decisions were my own, even when I probably knew it would be better for me if I had something else to eat. But as a younger man I could make the choices that I wanted and I could decide on the quantity of this decision too. There were some things that I knew better than to have more than one serving, but I would have the second anyway. My wife’s chili was one of those items. It wasn’t anything fancy, just a simple composition, but to me it was delicious. I knew that second serving was going to give me heart burn, but the second serving I would have.
Now others often decide where I go, how I get there and when I need to be somewhere else. Then they make all the arrangements to transport me there because I am no longer able to drive myself around, at least according to the opinions of some. And when I CAN eat it’s another who decides what I eat and how much I should have of each serving.
Sometimes it’s hard to think back on those days when I walked in a younger man’s shoes and truly understand the “freedom” that I possessed at that time. When I walked in a younger man’s shoes THOSE SHOES were MINE! I WAS the younger man! But now those days are gone and even when I do put on my shoes I don’t “walk” the same as I did when I was a younger man. But it has helped me see things a little bit differently and to recognize that perhaps as a younger man I should have looked at things differently and maybe I should have made my decisions differently (at least some of them.)
So I guess I’m talking to those reading this post who are presently wearing a young man’s shoes. Make wise decisions and use your time successfully. You may think you’re invincible and that you have “all the time” in the world. But in actuality neither of those statements are true. When the days arrive when you have advanced in age and you are looking back at the person who wore the younger man’s shoes hopefully you’ll have NO regrets. Only found memories of a life that has made you very happy for a long time. But sadly, when I wore a younger man’s shoes I didn’t listen to ANYONE --- not even myself!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
THOUGHTFUL GEM
"You have TWO ears and ONE mouth.
Use them proportionately."
No comments:
Post a Comment