The Finish Line

Yesterday a good friend past away after a long struggle with cancer. He was in his early 70's and, if you knew Tom, his vitality always belied his age. It is at times like these that we reflect upon our own lives, how we have lived them and the inevitable that we all face. I have learned much with past experiences such as this and, from the example set by the good people who I have watched live out their lives, I have received some valuable guidance in how I should live out my life.

Finding Your Calling

I believe that everyone can be good at something. With sufficient effort we can fashion a career around that something and make us a living. But that is not what I mean by a calling. A calling requires passion, devotion, and commitment. Most of us are committed to our careers but not passionate about them. They provide us the income we need to support ourselves and families but, at the end of the day, it is still just a job. With a calling you think about it when you are not at work, you proudly identify with it and talk excitedly with others about your passion. You look forward to each day, regardless of the challenges you know you will face, and the day passes quickly because you are engaged. Most callings serve a higher purpose than just ourselves and satisfaction is derived from serving that purpose. The riches from fulfilling your calling are usually not monetary but spiritual.

Retirement

I hear my contemporaries talking about when they will retire, what they will do when they do retire and worrying about having enough money to live on when they do. Sadly, many of them have had to readjust their plans due to the meltdown of the stock market last year. It seems to be a major discussion point for the 55 and older crowd. The decision I have made makes most of the worry moot: I don't plan to retire. As long as I enjoy what I am doing and my health allows me to continue working that is what I am going to do. Obviously outside factors can change all of these plans but I anticipate a demand for my services as long as I can perform them. I still continue to save and invest but, since I don't ever expect my income to go to zero, building that huge nest egg to retire on is not so big a worry. As with Tom, I learned from a neighbor years ago about retirement. Howard died at the age of 97, but sold real estate up into his 90's. He was passionate about it, was always selling, and was a knowledge base for anyone that wanted to know about rural real estate in Caldwell County. He didn't even start drawing his social security until age 72! Even living as long as he did I doubt he got back a very good return on it as he had to keep paying in. But that wasn't important to him. His missions in life were selling and serving God.

The Nineteenth Hole

In golf the nineteenth hole is usually the club house or bar where the players go after the completion of their round. There the guys drink and analyze their play, the good shots becoming great and the bad shots are forgotten. I see life much the same. After your life is over an accounting of your good deeds and not-so-good ones is made and your faithfulness to God is evaluated. The difference is that golf is just a game and you can always go play another round. In life, however there are no mulligans! You play life for keeps and how you play it will determine how you will spend eternity. So for me I choose to live each day as if it were my last because none of us know if we will have an opportunity to atone for bad behavior tomorrow. If I did die tonight in my sleep I am content that I have given my best by my family, my community and to God and know that whatever comes in the hereafter I am ready for it.

Now before my atheist/agnostic children protest too much it is really all about faith. We all believe in something, be it science or, God forbid, His Highness Obama. You can spend until your last day trying to debunk it but you won't change many minds. I will take my faith in God and, if I am wrong, oh well.

So I take comfort that good men like Tom and Howard are with God and that I will be when my days are over. I love life, recognizing that each day is a gift not to be wasted. More importantly, it is a gift that should be shared with as many people as you can. So share a little happiness.