Life Continues at Sixty

Life continues.

I look forward to my upcoming retirement with the same great excitement I experienced with the previous two.  As with the last one to Mexico, I look forward to getting healthy again.  I will take long, daily walks with my mother and try to develop a workout program.  The only downside will be my dad’s cooking which is hard to refuse as he has the self-taught talents of any quality chef.  My assignment will be to get him to back away from the pasta and bread so his health can benefit as well.

My mother and I will hit the ground running where building her new house is concerned.  Dad will want to be involved and this will get him out of the house and on-site.  I will force him into a folding chair with an umbrella and a tall iced tea so he doesn't overdo it.

When the house is finished we will start planning the “bed and breakfast” for the current house.  It will be fairly high end and the price per night for two couples will reflect this.  The only thing we are really missing is a hot tub on the patio.  As the house in only a few blocks from the beach and the newly expanded marina, and seeing as how there are few places to stay in town, I expect this to do very well.  With any luck we can open it for seasonal “snowbirds” from the northern tier states and close during off season.

I expect to have ample time for writing my books, my blog, and continuing down my spiritual path.  I think my mother wants to do a blog on Pass Christian and the Gulf Coast in general, but isn't sure she can do it alone.  For the two of us this will be another bit of family fun.  Dad might even offer up some of his Italian recipes which utilize local fare, and his bread which is to die for.

This is living at 60.  This is the culmination of a lifetime with few regrets.  I think about my “bucket list” and find it wanting.  I’d like to see the Capitol Mall in D.C., visit all the memorials there, and finish with Vietnam Memorial.  Dad and I want to do this together.  We will cry, so a hanky is a must bring.  The only other things I’d like to accomplish are several “foody” trips, through the barbecue belt, up through Appalachia, and maybe to south Florida for some Cuban fare.  My wants are simple.

 

The only other task I have would be a small Spiritual Center on the coast, opened to all folks seeking their spiritual path, and where all religions can gather in fellowship, share thoughts, and engage in robust and creative conversation.  It would have a meditation garden as its centerpiece, and an area for weekly picnics for sharing foods and culture. This would be a fine legacy for my family to leave this world with.  This is for the future.

How often do you consider your life?  How often do you think about what might have been?  I think that many folks spend way too much of this precious life bemoaning the “would, could, and should” have of their lives.  It is more important they get shed of the yolk of their past and pay attention to the “what will be” of their present and future.

Life continues.

"We have to be realistic.  If we don't win, life will continue." -- Hayden Fry, Football Coach