It's amazing the things you can think of as the early morning sun comes up over the Afghan mountains. At 58, I know I was thinking I am getting too old for this stuff. But then I saw the beautiful sunrise, said a little prayer, and then remembered one of the rules of life that has guided me: "Everyone grows older. The trick is not to GET OLD en route." This certainly qualified as not getting OLD.I tried to keep things in my life "new" and fresh and always to see a positive in everything, regardless of how small or fleeting. Admittedly this was sometimes easier said than done, but all in all, it has really been a good ride. I am so grateful to my wife and son for putting up with me in all my travels and times away from them. I know they sacrificed a great deal for me to be able to do my things. I'm sure I haven't said "Thank You" enough to them and those who helped me along the trail.
An important thing I did learn during these journeys, however, was that it was my job to pass along wisdom and lessons learned to those who follow. One of the many things I kept in my Green Book was a list (yep, another list) called "Great Truths about Growing Old." I cannot claim these as my own creation, but I really liked them. Feel free to adopt them as your own and apply the lesson to your life.
1. Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
2. Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.
3. When you fall down, you wonder what else you can do while you're down there. (There is a "Man corollary" to this one: "Always look around to see if anyone saw you fall and then decide is anything is broken.")
4. You're getting old when you get the same sensation from a rocking chair that you once got from a roller coaster.
5. It's frustrating when you know all the answers but nobody bothers to ask you the questions.
6. Time is a great healer, but it's a lousy beautician.
7. Wisdom comes with age, but sometimes age comes alone.
Hooah
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