Wednesday, October 09, 2013

My Birthday

Today is my birthday.  I am now 70 years old.  It is interesting how we celebrate our children's birthdays with cake, candles and balloons.  We mostly do this for their fun and our joy of seeing them grow up as the years go by.

As we become adults we are less enthusiastic about our own birthdays as we feel we are getting old when we reach 30 and over the hill on the downward slide when we are 40.  Then when we reach 50 we fear our place in the workforce is near an end and begin to wonder if we really achieved anything worthwhile.  Then 60 strikes fear in most as we wonder if we have enough money to retire.  Not to worry as you may be able to draw your Canada Pension Plan Benefits.

When you reach 65 the Government of Canada sends you a nice plastic card that fits neatly in with your visa card and it tells you that you are officially a senior and eligible for a free fishing license in Saskatchewan.  You also get the Old Age Security from the Government of Canada to help relieve some of your fear of having enough money in your retirement.  I showed my card proving I was 65 to one of my sons and he said, "Well I don't want one of those damn cards."  I told him he was going to get one whether he wanted it or not if he was fortunate to live to 65 and that the days of cake, candles and balloons were over.

Now that I am 70 I can assure you there a more concerns than money or whether you achieved anything worthwhile.  You will find many of your friends have passed away and many of those still living are constantly discussing who is sick, going to get sick and who is dying.  Needless to say this is all a little more than depressing and can scare the hell out of you.  You will find most people that turn 70 are making constant trips to the doctor and hospitals to see if they are sick or dying.

Now here is how I have been dealing with my senior years.  I love my wife, eat healthy, play with my Siberian Husky, drink a glass of red wine once every two weeks, eat eggs whenever I want and feed the yokes to my Husky, get plenty of exercise, play tennis for at least two hours a day, ride my big fast motorcycle, sleep for 5 hours, spend my social time with people 20 or 30 years younger than me, with some exceptions, but only if they avoid all that talk about sickness and dying.

Now here is the kicker.  I smoke cigarettes everyday.  They are bad for you and according to all the cancer related associations and doctors, the government and most socialists they will surely kill you sooner than later.  Of course, the government could ban this killer, but they won't.  Maybe they support the tobacco industry and we know they make a fortune taxing tobacco.  Maybe I will quit smoking and then go on a rant about all the obesity that is out of control across the country or the boozers who drink and drive and kill themselves or innocent motorists.  And then there are drug addicts!

Here is how I see it.  God decides when you are going to die and how.  You are going to die whether you want to or not.  Smoking may kill you unless some other accident or illness claims you first.  Regardless, you are going to die.  It must be a better place where we are going because people are dying to get there and no one has ever came back.  So everyone should just shut up about all this talk of illness and dying.  You should start living every day as if it were the last because God never promised you tomorrow.

At 70 you really do not have much time left so you better make the most of it.  Money is not important.  You can't take it with you so plan to be nearly broke when you die.  Why should you leave it for anyone else.  I made my money on my own with a lot of hard work and those still living can do the same.

So, now that I am 70 I don't need the cake, candles and balloons, but it is a time to celebrate and be thankful.  I need to be thankful to God that He has allowed me to live this long.  Maybe I will go fishing and catch a fish with that free fishing license.

75?