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Things I am grateful I did not miss, growing old.


January 1, 2022

Watching young people struggle with mental health and thoughts of self-harm makes a guy of my age appreciate what lay on the other side of that anxiety and desperation.  I took a few minutes to jot a few down.  

  1. Owning our home, no mortgage.
  2. Experiencing the Apostle Island caves by kayak.
  3. Seeing people I knew as small children become parents of their own.
  4. Mentoring a young adult, sharing wise things out of a deep love for them.
  5. Learning new things every day and appreciating it, even when it comes from some guy on YouTube.
  6. Experiencing difficult times and realizing the Creator had my back, even though it turned out nothing like I wanted at the time.
  7. Hundreds of amazing books, filled with wisdom, imagination, and hope.
  8. Ditto with rom-com films that widened my perspective and love for life and people who long for connection, too.
  9. The beautiful face of my wife as she discovers yet another rock that leaves her in awe of the universe.
Still looking forward to...

  1. Vacation on a beach in the Caribbean.
  2. Travel to Europe and see another culture.
  3. Lead an expedition through the Boundary Waters National Canoe Area.
How about you?  Once you passed that age where you are living paycheck to paycheck and can fall asleep at a reasonable hour without wondering where your kids are, what things are making you appreciate surviving it all?

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I don't have the corner on this thing called living. Advice from well-meaning people is appreciated. The rest of you can just keep your traps shut.

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