Age Of Reason

The other day, someone asked me what my goals were and I surprised myself in saying that I had none. Nope, no goals. When you get to the Age Of Reason you have achieved most, or all, of the goals within your reach and are at the doorstep of saying good-bye to the gift of the life you have had. Don't get me wrong. It doesn't mean anything morbid. It is a simple fact of life, that aging into what is termed "a gift a day"space, is truth. You have had a good marriage, family, friends, career to its end and visited much of the world. You have had a very pleasant and rewarding life and therefore, goal-making is no longer necessary. Of course, you still want to make a Grand Slam at the Bridge Club and read your two hundred books of note and keep reasonably healthy, but the rest, well, who really cares? It would be easy to give up, don the flowery dress, saggy stockings and clumpy shoes, let your hair go gray and sit-nap all day long until it's over, but it doesn't work that way. While you don't have goals per se, you can begin to see life and feel and how precious it was and is. You can take the time to watch birds without all the fancy gear hanging on your shoulders, enjoy the garden someone else weeds and spend as much time as you wish doing what you wish. There's no need to plan trips to a sunny places, endure horrendous airports,  board cruise ships to eat yourself silly or hit, kick or toss a ball for hours on end or sit and watch someone else do it. You can stare at the sky, a tree, the sea, a creek or a bee for as long as you wish, and in that endeavor, learn what life is and what it was all about. Some people meditate by contorting  themselves into human pretzels, making odd groaning sounds and call it peaceful, but I know that staring into space without the hassle and expense of Lulu L or pounding the pavement sweating your knees off is not getting you anywhere any faster.  At last there is time to be sensible and let your body guide you for a change. There is no harm in resting after your decades. Other people can look at you askance, and assess your state of wrinkling or fat or creeping gait, while you just let it all slide by and smile into your day. You've done your work and now it's time to enjoy each breath and taste and smell and touch and sound. None of the goals the rest of the world is stressing out about: money, status, fashion, all the rest, matter a whiff. You are heading in the same direction, to the same Great Equalizer, every other human being on earth will end up as, no matter the color, the faith, the wealth, the position, so why worry? Enjoy every day large or small without complaint. It's all you really have, and all that matters.