One day you and I will both go

Photo taken during
2007 trip to Italy.

So here I am this early Sunday morning looking out my family room window seeing dense winter fog and a sky above so gloomy and gray.  I remind myself how I’m within striking distance of a new decade of life. 

Those who know me know of my analytical and number-calculating mindset so to honor my legend I do some quick math and discover this Sunday morning I’m 59 years and 89 cents.  This realization of being on the older side of middle-aged manhood makes me ponder about the life I’ve lived thus far and more specifically the current decade of my life that will soon be ending.    

I think about my faith, the sacraments I’ve received and the prayers I’ve prayed for the special intentions of so many family, friends and clients. 

I think about family, friends and clients who have departed me from planet earth and how blessed I was to have them part of my life.  I’m grateful for those who are still here and contribute to my sense of who I am and who I want to be.

I think about the fitness I’ve gained and lost in my see-saw training journey; the weights lifted, miles run, kettlebell repetitions completed, and burpees done to exhaustion.

I think about the money I’ve made, spent, donated and invested wondering about how healthy is my relationship with the financial resources with which I’ve been blessed.

And finally, I think about the good health I’ve been blessed with thus far knowing that it could be taken away from me in a moment with no advance notice.

Coming out of a reflective gaze to my present whereabouts, I stare at my computer and read an internet news article about a recent research study finding that people having an optimistic approach in all walks of life are likely to have more healthy hearts.  This article notes that optimism doesn’t just lead to a better outlook on life, but possibly an improved one as well since this study reveals it can lead to a healthier heart.

Well a healthier heart is just one of many variables that will contribute to how much time I have remaining on planet earth.

I’m optimistic about the rest of my life and a new decade of it that hopefully I’ll experience.  There will be challenges along the way but I believe the blessings of good faith, family, fitness, fortune and health will far outweigh these challenges.  If I’m willing to do the hard work and I pray that I will and not be lethargic in my pursuits.

Going back into my reflective inner-self, I recall something I wrote late last year when in a doodling reflective mode about the rest of my life.  It reads as follows: 

"Follow your passions, surrender your fears, rid your angers and be not afraid to shed tears.  Learn to have compassion because it never goes out of fashion.  Live a long life and know, one day you and I will both go."

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum