Look, There's A Squirrel!

Reaching retirement age has a number of benefits, one of which is that there isn’t anything left to be learned the hard way.  Almost anything that comes up, we’ve been there, done that, got the t-shirt.  One of the things I’ve had time to practice is my  ability to focus on one thing at a time.  Being a creative type, trained as a photojournalist, my mind is usually tracking three or four things at a time.  My equally creative wife, the artist, calls that the “squirrel reflex”.

That’s where the fellow is talking along and suddenly stops to blurt out, “Look, there’s a squirrel!”  And everything else is forgotten.

Now one way to improve both one’s concentration and effectiveness, the experts tell us, is by using lists to sort out and prioritize what lies before us.  If you’ve never operated that way, you should try it.  You sit down and list all the things you need to do, need to buy, need to accomplish, all the people you need to speak with and why.  The you pick out the top five and number them one to five in accordance with which are most important. 

Then you have before you all that is important to you, for that day, and the sequence in which they should be accomplished.  That’s how things get done and not forgotten or lost in the shuffle of the day.

This year 2016 is a sparkly, brand new year, not at all like last year.  We’re not even completely aware of the opportunities and challenges waiting for us there, yet.  But we each have a few things we would like to accomplish before this year is out, meetings and conventions we would like to attend -- like what is promising to be an exciting one in Pigeon Forge this year -- and a few triumphs we would like to be in on.  That’s where your list comes in.  Set priorities.

Now, if we could just get our legislators to make a few lists in our favor, that might work to our benefit.  Seems like in the middle of doing the people’s business, somebody’s always yelling out, “Look, there’s a squirrel!”

A Guest Column from John Powers - The Back Nine Holes

R Meade Phillips graciously reminded me that I posted this on the 25th of December, last year. It remains pertinent, and true, so I offer it to you once more, with thanks to my friend and fellow Marine, R Meade Phillips.

In six days we shall cross that imaginary -- but time-wise very real -- line into a new year, the year 2015. Over the next six days, consider this message from John Powers, take stock, and make your plans.....

THE BACK NINE HOLES

I FIRST STARTED READING THIS & WAS READING FAST UNTIL I REACHED THE THIRD SENTENCE. I STOPPED AND STARTED OVER READING SLOWER AND THINKING ABOUT EVERY WORD. THIS EMAIL IS VERY THOUGHT PROVOKING. MAKES YOU STOP AND THINK. READ SLOWLY!

AND THEN IT IS WINTER

You know ... time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years. It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. Yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went. I know that I lived them all. I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams.

But, here it is... the back nine of my life and it catches me by surprise...How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my youth go?

I remember well seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that I was only on the first hole and the back nine was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like.

But, here it is...my friends are retired and getting gray...they move slower and I see an older person now. Some are in better and some worse shape than me...but, I see the great change...Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant...but, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we'd become.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day! And taking a nap is not a treat anymore... it's mandatory! Cause if I don't on my own free will... I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so...now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did!! But, at least I know, that though I'm on the back nine, and I'm not sure how long it will last...this I know, that when it's over on this earth...it's over. A new adventure will begin! Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn't done...things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I'm happy to have done. It's all in a lifetime.

So, if you're not on the back nine yet...let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life please do it quickly! Don't put things off too long!! Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether you're on the back nine or not!

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life...so, live for today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember...and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past!!

"Life" is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one. LIVE IT WELL! ENJOY TODAY! DO SOMETHING FUN! BE HAPPY! HAVE A GREAT DAY Remember "It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. LIVE HAPPY IN 2015!

LASTLY, CONSIDER THIS:
~Your kids are becoming you......but your grandchildren are perfect!
~Going out is good.. Coming home is better!
~You forget names.... But it's OK because some people forgot they even knew you!!!
~You realize you're never going to be really good at anything like golf.
~The things you used to care to do, you aren't as interested in anymore, but you really do care that you aren't as interested.
~You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV 'ON' than in bed. It's called "pre-sleep".
~You miss the days when everything worked with just an "ON" and "OFF" switch..
~You tend to use more 4 letter words ... "what?"..."when?"... ???
~You notice everything they sell in stores is "sleeveless"?!!!
~What used to be freckles are now liver spots.
~Everybody whispers.
~You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet.... 2 of which you will never wear.

~~~But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

Stay well, "OLD FRIEND!" Send this on to other "Old Friends!" and let them laugh in AGREEMENT!!! It's Not What You Gather, But What You Scatter That Tells What Kind Of Life You Have Lived.

TODAY IS THE OLDEST YOU'VE EVER BEEN, YET THE YOUNGEST YOU'LL EVER BE, SO ENJOY THIS DAY WHILE IT LASTS.

AND MAY THE LORD TAKE A LIKING TO YOU -- JOHN & MABEL POWERS

WE HAVE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE FIRST 9 HOLES BY MEETING SO MANY SUPER PEOPLE AND VIEWING EACH BEAUTIFUL STATE THAT THE LORD HAS MADE.