I've learned that I can choose whose opinion I care about. Young people tend to worry about what everyone thinks about them: "What if someone thinks I'm weird?!" Well, everyone knows I'm weird. It's important that my bosses think I do a good job. They don't have to like me, but I need them to respect me professionally. Other than that, I care what my family thinks of me, and that's about it. I do not have to choose to value the opinions of strangers. It's rather liberating.
While I don't have to care what everyone at work thinks of me, I am glad to be useful there. After more than 25 years in the same field, I've made just about every mistake in the book, so I can quickly diagnosis problems other people have. What I've learned makes me a resource to those younger than me.
I've learned that being old on the outside doesn't require being old on the inside. As CS Lewis said, "When I became a man, I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up." We don't have to always be "very grown up", and I've found having a kid inside probably makes me a better father.
Being a member of the pain-of-the-day club and other health issues have taught me to enjoy times of good health or no pain. We have to accept that good health can be fleeting and appreciate it while we have it.
Of course, you don't have to experience everything directly. If I may borrow from Farmers', "I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two." Any animal can learn from its mistakes; a wise person will learn from other people's mistakes. So I've learned to learn from other people. I've observed that most things about me are "need to know"; everyone doesn't need to know your vacation plans, how much you make, or what's going on in your marriage. I've seen that most people are only interested in what you can do for them, so you should really cherish those who are interested in you for you. I've seen that "the little people" make the world go round. I've seen that basic good manners are sadly rare. And I've seen that being polite to "the little people" can pay dividends.
I've seen and I've experienced that expensive things can get boring and mundane but little things can really make a surprising difference in your life. One of the best things I've ever bought cost a buck — a little doohickey that helps you get the last little bit of toothpaste out of the tube. And pound-for-pound or dollar-for-dollar, almost nothing beats a bird feeder for entertainment value.
The biggest advantage to getting old, though, is probably the ability to look back over your life and see what God has done, the ways he came through or the things you didn't want that turned out great. After seeing God take care of so many things, it's a little easier to trust God to take care of tomorrow.
OK, 50 isn't really old. However my body reminds me daily that I'm not 30 anymore. Getting older is not for the timid, but I think it has some perks that make the discomfort worthwhile. And it makes me cautiously optimistic that I may be wiser at 60 than I will be at 50.
What about you? Have you learned anything you'd like to share? Leave it in the comments.
Image: "Kissing" cardinals from my bird feeder
No comments:
Post a Comment