In My Life

"There are places I remember

All my life though some have changed

Some forever not for better

Some have gone and some remain"

I broke my cycle last month. I burned (planned) two vacation days in March. I'm the anti-squirrel that saves my time off acorns for late summer/early autumn. A saver, not a spender. I don't do this.

"All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all"

In my time off, I had a brief moment to reflect. My grandmother died seventeen years ago in March. I'm 34... that IS a lifetime ago! Then it dawned on me: my next birthday, I'll enter the third quarter of my life. There is no halftime or intermission... the average American male lives 74 point something years!

I did some self-evaluation. Gave myself a generous "B".

"But of all these friends and lovers

There is no one compares with you

And these memories lose their meaning

When I think of love as something new"

What does life have in store for my third quarter? 35-51... I can run for president at the beginning and at the end, legally drink a beer with Reid. 😳

A favorite instructor once told me, "if the plane is going down, you've gotta put your mask on first".

It's true. If you don't take care of yourself first, you are of no use to those who rely on you.

Q3 me isn't looking to be selfish. I just want to be a better man/husband/dad at the end of it.

"... In my life, I love you more"

I didn't choose the sap life, it chose me. We don't dwell on what we missed in this house. We learn, we overcome, we move on. 

We do recognize, however, when we hit a home run. With Julie, I don't want to be a better person, I am a better person. I'm excited that I get a full "second half" with my wife.

A good spouse pushes you beyond what you knew you were capable of. Thanks for the nudges along the way!