The saying is, “All good things come to an end.” A fuller truth is that all things come to an end. Somewhere else on these pages I quoted the old saying that the light you see at the end of the tunnel is the headlight on a train heading in your direction. At this point, I am old enough to be aware of just how close to the end of the “tunnel” I am getting. I am, however, not complaining.
All things considered, I have had a very good life. I had a number of friends and acquaintances who didn’t get out of Vietnam alive. I also had a number of friends who did not avoid or survive highway mishaps.
A very long time ago, I was complaining about the prospect of death to my father and “scolded” him by saying that he, too, would die. His reply was, “Yes, but I will have lived first.” The implication was that I need to spend less time worrying about the inevitability of death and get on with the process of living. That is still something I believe.
If you think of life as a metaphorical journey up one side of a mountain and down the other, youth is our time for climbing up the mountain before we start down the other side. At first, the downhill portion is easy, The farther down the hill you go, however, the more difficult, it becomes to stay on your feet and to select the best path.
I have been one of the lucky ones, not only for the journey up “the mountain,” but, so far at least, for the journey back down. Of course, I am just now reaching the point that the “downhill side” becomes increasingly treacherous. I no longer drive, for example. I am still physically capable of driving, but I don’t consider it safe—not for me or for others on the road—so I let younger friends and acquaintances do the driving for me.
I am increasingly aware that physical activities are more challenging than they used to be. It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was in the habit of running 5 to 10 miles a day—before walking from my home to the college campus where I was teaching. Whether we like it or not, however, the clock keeps on ticking, and the months on the calendar keep going by.
I have indeed been one of the lucky ones. I have managed to get through a relatively long life with very few physical problems. When I have quit activities (such as driving) it has been because I have chosen to quit. Yes, I know that I will die, but I continue to be determined to live all I can first. I encourage you to do the same.