|
Douglas Schulz
Dear Classmates:
Well, getting old sucks, but it’s better than the alternative. And here we all are, getting close to the 50th anniversary of our graduation from high school, and almost 70 years old. It’s like John Lennon said: “Life is what happens, while you’re making plans.” If you’re relatively healthy, the computer models say we should live till 85 years old. This means at age 70, we have lived 80% of our expected lives, 4/5’s. Kids are gone, most careers have peaked or we are retired. Dreams of our youth have either been met or dashed. Personally, I have had a great life, and I’m very thankful for it. But life is not the bowl of cherries, that I think many of us envisioned in our youth. I often think that life, is managing disappointments. And that probably comes from two strong influences. First was my parents. They were very positive. They instilled in myself and my three brothers the belief that if you worked hard, that you could accomplish anything and that the cream does rise to the top. The second influence was the fact that we grew up in a very positive time in America. With both World War II and the Korean War behind us, United States was booming, and times were generally good. Yes, we had the Russian missile scare, and eventually the escalating war in Vietnam, but that was the late 60s early 70s. Our positivity about our country and ourselves was ingrained in us by that time, as more and more negatives showed up. But if you are reading this, you have survived. You might not think that’s a great accomplishment, since you have been told all your life that you are supposed to live to age 74. And yes, none of us are happy to learn that though are living longer than ever, we hardly know a person similar in age, that does not have some collection of medical ailments, some much worse than others.
These are supposed to be the golden years. Our obligations, duties, and requirements should now be greatly lessened. And we have 70 years of learning, to help us guide us through our remaining years. Through all those trials and tribulations and mistakes were unpleasant, they are valuable lessons, that we will utilize to “coast” in our remaining years. Family and friends become more valuable than ever, one reason is, each year we lose some of them. And that makes those that remain, that much more valuable. I am enjoying myself, but I miss greatly life in high school. Our parents did all the worrying. They clothed us, fed us, and managed the household. We were in great shape, we never wore shoes in the summer, we were tan, we had tons of friends in school and in our neighborhoods. Girls (boys) and life, in general, were new and challenging. Unlike today, where for many of us, we’ve done, most of what there is to do. Maybe it’s just me, but I find life now more complicated, but such is life. Life now should be much more about enjoyment, and much less about accomplishments, I’m trying. Enjoy Schulzy
|
