It's All a Matter of Perspective

Part One: 35 years of marriage
Sheri and I recently celebrated our 35th wedding anniversary, and by celebrated I mean we got dressed up and went out to a fancy dinner. Thirty five years is a milestone, to be sure, and it caused me to reflect on the past. You know how it is, we get so wrapped up in the here-n-now and worried about the future, that we don't usually give much thought to the past. Now I have to admit that my memory is selective, choosing to remember mostly the good times, and many of the details are lost to dead brain cells, but the general ideas and feelings are still there. Having made that stroll down memory lane now, I can honestly say that I feel extremely blessed.

Of course, it takes two to make a marriage so let me say a few words about the better half of this partnership, my lovely wife, Sheri. It goes without saying that God knew what he was doing when he put us together. At least that's my perspective, I hope it is Sheri's as well. To summarize, Sheri is all the good things I believe a wife should be (loving, caring, respectful, supportive - to name a few), and none of the bad things (nagging, belittling, shop-aholic, etc.).
My kids might think "ewwwwww" at this next statement. I happen to think Sheri is a hottie, especially to be a 50+ year old grandmother.

I could go on and on about the highs, the lows, the changes, the growth, but I'll just wrap up this part by saying it's been a great 35 years of marriage and I'm looking forward to many, many more.

Part Two: Getting Old Really Sucks
I know... It's been an amazing journey and I should be happy that I've made it this far. But that doesn't keep me from longing for my youth - the days when I could mow my yard without taking 4 rest breaks and needing all night to recuperate. Seriously, just this year I've begun to notice things like that. It seems like all at once I can't do certain tasks with the same endurance and enthusiasm of days gone by. It doesn't feel like it slowly crept up on me. It was like, "BAM" your old now! I can't go anywhere without my reading glasses. I can't plan two physical events in the same day, like washing the car followed by mowing the grass. And the heat, I can't take it like I used to. It just sucks the energy right out of me. In my youthful days a "good time" was going out and doing something fun, usually a physical activity. Now days a "good time" is doing nothing at all. And it doesn't help to think it probably won't get any better. Sure, I could work really hard to get in better physical condition and shed a few pounds and I might get a boost in energy, but the body is still the same age and will still suffer from all the aches and pains.

OK, enough with the pity party. Since my 85 year old mother has moved here, I see her several times each week and so I'm keenly aware of her condition (mental and otherwise). Then I think "is that me in 25 - 30 years?" Holy octogenarian, Batman! Put in that perspective, these ARE my youthful days and I'd better enjoy them while I can.

See. It's all a matter of perspective.