I doubt anyone under the age of thirty can really relate to this. On the other hand, if you are under thirty, this article may help you understand some of us who are a little older.  The title of this article is from
a movie I have seen dozens of times.

Every holiday season we watched It’s A Wonderful Life together as a family. It’s been quite a few years since we’ve watched it together, but we still recite some of the lines to each other once in a while. There is a scene with an elderly man sitting on a porch who yells out to the main character, George Bailey, and says after trying to encourage young George to kiss Mary, “Aw, youth is wasted on the wrong people!”

Being young is a wonderful time. Young people have so much energy and enthusiasm, so many hopes and dreams.  But for many people as they get older, life seems to lose the excitement they had when they were young.  The truth is many people just hate getting older.

Knowing what I know today, I would love to be in my twenties or thirties.  Back then I thought I knew plenty, but didn’t realize just how much I did not know.  It’s always easy to look back on one’s life and see choices you made, that if you had more wisdom you might have made a different choice.

Used To Be…

Speaking of that, it used to be that young people sought the advice and counsel from those who were older and wiser.  Those who received good counsel and heeded it, avoided unwanted circumstances they could have not otherwise foreseen.  Sadly today, less and less young people seek out counseling directly from their elders. Most would rather get a peer’s advice, or just go to Google for an answer or opinion.

Let me get back to the topic at hand of getting older.  Everyone ages, whether you like it or not, whether you want to or not.  Reading this article you are a day older today than you were yesterday and there’s nothing you can do about it.

When I was in my 50’s and I heard someone say, “Oh no; I’m turning 40,” I would quickly ask if they wanted to trade.  Today in my early 60’s I do the same thing when I hear people say things like that. You and I both know we can’t go back in time and be any younger.

Your Plans?

Maybe you’re in your 50’s, or 60’s, or 70’s… Well, what are your plans?  What are your dreams?

What do you want to learn?  What do you want to experience?  What projects do you want to do?  Who can you impart some of your wisdom to?

My perspective, my personal view, is that life itself is a very precious gift.  Regardless of what circumstance you find yourself today, you are alive; think of that for a moment. You’re alive; that’s a gift!  And perhaps the older I get the more precious it becomes because plenty of people over the centuries have died much younger than I am today.

So, every morning I consciously thank God for being alive.  That’s the first thing I tell God every morning.  Yes, of course there are other things I thank Him for. But first, I always thank Him that I am alive.

When I start a new day, that’s how I see it: It’s a new day.  I have been given an opportunity to live another day.  Regardless of what I did yesterday, today I can start over and do it right, because I may not get a tomorrow.

I’m Alive!

I’m aware that physically I’m not in my 20’s or 30’s, but I am alive!  I know I can’t eat junk food most of the week and still go a hundred miles an hour, but I’m alive!  I know I’ll never play major league baseball, but I’m alive!

I want to spend the rest of my days enjoying my wife, my children, and grandchildren.  I want to continue to inspire and encourage people to put their trust in God and show them how.  I have projects I want to do, and places I want to go.

Today I don’t have all the time and resources to do all the things I want to do, but I’m alive!  I can live today, the best I know how, and continue to focus on my dreams. I can embrace the new day, grateful to be alive, and live with excitement of what could happen, today.

How about you?  Whatever age you are, never forget that you are alive. That is a very, very precious gift.  Make wise choices today.  Love people today.  Enjoy your life today!

(By the way, I would really like to live to be at least 93 because then I will see what my son looks like at age 60.  I just want to know!)

Mike Verdicchio
2012

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