Thoughts on My 74th Birthday
I turned 74 yesterday — scary number.
One of my many weaknesses is a tendency to catastrophize bodily sensations of ambiguous origin. I resist going to the doctor unnecessarily because my fine, recently retired doctor said that if a sensation isn’t scary severe and hasn’t lasted at least a week, it may be wise to sit tight. Most such problems resolve themselves. And even if it doesn’t, today, even trying to get an appointment can be challenging. Then there are the expensive and/or uncomfortable tests, risk of misdiagnosis, and treatments that are ineffective, sometimes no better than the disease.
I’m still at 100% but feel the urgency of the aging. My definition of the life well-led is working, being contributory. So I try to make most of every minute, yes minute — The next one is promised to no one. I ask myself, ongoing , what’s a wise use of these next minutes? For example, I decided that creating this essay without undue prepping is a solid use of my time.
Might you want to be more aware of time, our most precious and irreplaceable possession? Might you want, ongoing, to ask yourself what are good uses of your time, perhaps those that capitalize on your strengths and preferences and skirt your weaknesses?
Marty Nemko is an award-winning career and personal coach, and author of 34 books including Senior Stories and How to Do Life. You can reach Marty at mnemko@comcast.net
