Half A Century

This past Saturday I reach another milestone. The Lord has allowed me to live on this earth for half a century. There is an old saying that says “gettin older sure beats the alternative”. I don’t care much for that old saying. When my time is up and I stand in the presence of my almighty creator, I don’t think I’ll mind one bit having departed from this earth.

That said, there is also the old bluegrass gospel song that says “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.” And I’m not quite ready to go now either. There is still a lot of things I want to do and a lot of people I want to spend time with.

I’ve never been one to fret much about getting older. Turning 30 and 40 never bothered me like it did some folks. And turning 50 doesn’t bother me either. It does however cause me to stop and ponder (that’s thinking for old folks) about things a little more so than turning 30 or 40 did. Sometimes I begin to ponder about how much the world we live in has changed in 50 years. When I came into this world there were no cell phones, no computers, no internet, no satellite or cable television. Most of us are so dependent on these technological comforts of life now days that we almost feel naked if we go off somewhere without our cell phone or laptop.

Marianna, my birthplace and hometown, was a different place 50 years ago. Most, if not all, of the businesses were locally owned and operated. Saturdays meant a trip to town and a visit to one of the barber shops. We went to either the one on Lafayette (main street) or the one on Market Street (back street). There was only one hair cut style but that buzz cut was worth it, because of the bakery that was on backstreet. I don’t recall the name of it, but I can still close my eyes and smell the fresh baked pastries that beckoned us through the doorway. I’ve searched for the last 40 years to find pastries that have that same white cream like the back street bakery had. I haven’t found it yet.

But turning 50 also reminds me that life is short and is not meant to be lived in the past. I like the old saying “Life is what it is, not what it was.” Turning 50 reminds me to cherish my relationships with my family, tell them that I love them and make sure that I spend time with them. It reminds me while I’ve done a lot of things that I have enjoyed, I still have even more things that I am looking forward to doing. So, Simply Put, bring on another half century. I’m just getting broke in.

From the front porch: Uncle Bob said that he is young at heart but a good bit older in most other places.