Winter of My Life

I received a poem today in an email from a retired former co-worker and fellow editor at the Naval Safety Center. Coupled with the loss yesterday of my good friend, Dewey Mullins, the poem made me stop and think even a little harder than I've been doing about where I am in life and where everyone else will one day find themselves, as well. I felt it worth sharing here:

You know... Time has a way of moving quickly

And catching you unaware of the passing years.

 

It seems just yesterday that I was young,

Just married and embarking on my new life with my mate.

 

And, yet, in a way, it seems like eons ago,

And I wonder where all the years went.

 

I know that I lived them all...

And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams...

But here it is... The winter of my life, and it catches me by surprise...

 

How did I get here so fast?

Where did the years go, and where did my youth go?

 

I remember well...

 

Seeing older people through the years and thinking that those

Older people were years away from me, and that winter was so far off

That I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like...

 

But here it is...

My friends are retired and getting grey...

They move slower, and I see an older person now.

 

Some are in better and some worse shape than me...

But I see the great change...

 

Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...

But, like me, their age is beginning to show, and we are now those

Older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd be.

 

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day!

And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory!

'Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

 

And so now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared

For all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability

To go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!

 

But, at least I know that, though the winter has come,

And I'm not sure how long it will last,

That when it's over--it's over...

 

Yes, I have regrets.

There are things I wish I hadn't done...

Things I should have done, but indeed,

There are many things I'm happy to have done.

 

It's all in a lifetime...

 

So if you're not in your winter yet...

Let me remind you that it will be here faster than you think.

Whatever you should like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly!

Don't put things off too long!

 

Life goes by quickly, so do what you can today.

As you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...

 

So live for today, and say all the things you want your loved ones to remember...

And hope they appreciate and love you for all the things

You have done for them in all the years past!

 

Life is a gift to you.

The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after.

 

Make it a fantastic one.

And, remember:

"It is health that is real wealth,

And not pieces of gold or silver."

 

--Author Unknown