Let’s face it….getting old sucks. It doesn’t suck to the point where you start hating life…it just sucks because so many things happen in your life that you never really thought about much.
I believe that life goes in stages…
Stage 1- (1-6 years old) You have your baby years where you get pampered because you there is no other way you can survive without it. You’re only learning the very basics of life as you get pampered.…I know some who still get pampered and they are 50 but I’m talking about normal lives here.
Stage 2-(7-17 years old) Then you get in that annoying, awkward, clumsy, acne, puberty stage of life where you learn so many things about life but nothing to really prepare you for your later years. You are only living for the NOW. You haven’t gained any wisdom at this point yet. Of course I know some 50 year olds that still don’t have wisdom but I’m still talking normal lives here.
Stage 3- (18-35 years old) this is the stage where you really think you have grabbed life by the balls and you’re running with it. Yes, you are still learning but really you are on top of the world at this point. You may have graduated college, got married, perhaps you had a couple kids and you are really starting to realize that Mom and Dad were right about a lot of things. And you start to think more like them. And you start telling your children the same things they told you. “That will make you go cross-eyed” or “Don’t make me come in there”. But even at this point in your life you still haven’t been prepared for the later years in your life.
Stage 4- (36-49 years old) This is when you really think your hot shit….Your 40 now so you’re considered in an old timer now….your hair is gray or at least salt–n-pepper colored. You are in debt past your limit and you still have 20 years to pay on your two bedroom home. The kids are old enough that you don’t need a babysitter and you and your spouse start to spend more money on yourselves….oh wait….that was just a dream you had….actually you’re are spending all your money on the kids dancing lessons, gymnastics, hockey, piano lessons, or anything else they might want to do that you yourself never had the chance to do. Your grandpa or grandma may pass away during this stage of your life and you start thinking about life insurance. Your life starts to be a bit boring going to work every day but “you have to do what you have to do” (at least that what you tell yourself ) And you have been so busy living your life that you still haven’t learned a damn thing that will help you in your later years.
Final stage- (50-till your final breath) Your now 50 something and you only have a few years left before retirement….but wait….you didn’t put away enough money in stages 3 & 4 so you wonder how you will ever retire. Deep down you know you won’t be able to afford it especially if you refinance your now 30 year home. This is the stage where you start blaming the government for everything…some justified…some not. This is the stage in life when you really start to understand that perhaps you should have done things a bit differently. It’s also the stage in life where you start to recognize that you may not even live long enough to retire. You start to hear of some of your classmates and friends dying and you really wished you would have taken better care of yourself. In fact you start dreading the class reunion because you know you will see less and less people there each year. But it all comes together for you during this stage….you now have wisdom. Because you now know what you should have done in the past. Not only do you think of the past but you’re really looking closely at the future…..the near future. And perhaps you may wonder why no one prepared you for all this. But you also realize that you’re not alone…..everyone is like that….No one is prepared. Perhaps that’s the way it is supposed to be. But the ironic thing and also the most important thing that you learn during this stage is the same thing that you have heard so many times before, and only NOW you get it ...…”Life Is Too Short”
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