Life Is Change
Do you ever think about your life in five or ten years or even longer? Doesn’t matter how old you are today, whether you’re 30 or 70. What will your life be like? Let me define it more clearly for you with this example.
After Thanksgiving, Paula began setting up the Christmas tree. As she hit a snag with the lights, she stopped and asked herself a question: will I be able to do this in five or ten years? Not just putting ornaments on the tree, but all the other tasks associated with it. We talked and she decided the answer was no; it just wasn’t worth the tears and frustration. I heartily agreed—I can’t stand it when she cries. We bought a smaller tree that’s easier to set up, sold the old one to a younger family who wanted one that large, and moved on.
That’s what I’m talking about. It doesn’t matter your age or your health today. Your body is going to change as you get older. What are you going to be willing to change? What are you determined to fight for? It’s not a question of giving up; it’s a question of planning. We’re trying to be smart about choosing our battles.
We’re still going to have a large-ish tree with amazing decorations. Ten years from now, we may downsize again, but in the meantime we have a tree we can manage.
Then there are the things we’ll fight for. Two torn biceps and a fall on the ice last winter has made picking things up over my head challenging. I found that out when Riley asked me to pick him up like I used to even as little as a year ago. Training will only get me so far; the joints and tendons still have the damage of seven decades, but I’ll keep working to build back strength. Paula is working in physical therapy toward another new knee in January, because she has things to do and places to go.
I’ll continue this train of thought in the Saturday Memo with some potential solutions.
What are you prepared to do today?
