As Graduation is in the air I was inspired to write something for us who haven’t seen the halls of high school for oh…24 years. I felt that maybe it was time for us to hear a hopeful message of our own, just so life doesn’t completely kick the crap out of us.
When I left town after high school I promised never to return. Well here comes the first life lesson: things change.
Things change
We are 24 years beyond grad and are now a generation of adults and parents, who are ushering the next generation through to adulthood. We also are seeing the first signs that our parents are in fact aging and a life lived is more fleeting than we ever understood as a graduate. Some of you have buried parents, grandparents, peers, and children and just as hope was a part of our graduation swan song, reality had made a home in our middle aged lives.
With over two decades of adulting under our belts we know that things do change. We make monumental life changes for jobs, for family, for our children. Mine brought me back to Drayton Valley, yours may have taken you away.
Also you may have come to the conclusion that you are not going to be the first female “insert accomplishment”, or pop star or movie star or whatever predictions your high school year book had made back in 2002. What you did learn is lesson number two; “success” is really hard.
Success is really hard
Not only is being successful tough, it also requires you to make a lot of tough decisions. Do you miss your kid’s baseball game to go to that client meeting? Do you uproot your family to take that management position?
Being successful, however you define it, comes with payoffs and payments. These get more complicated when you are not just considering yourself. This doesn’t mean to quit striving but, it does mean that sometimes giving up old dreams is the right choice Lesson three: collect new dreams.
Collecting new dreams
As you eek your way through mid life you maybe kicking yourself for not backpacking your way through Europe or taking that internship in some far away land. Flog yourself if you must but, after you do that find a way to – just let go. Life is fluid, and so are your dreams and aspirations. Don’t be that monkey who is so focused on holding on to what was, that you never reach for what could be. You are 40, not 40 feet under. Sign yourself up for a sport this fall, take a class, or travel Europe as the sophisticated adult that you are- with some cash in your pocket.
Speaking of cash, there is much said about retirement saving and not much talk about retirement doing. Lesson four; think about your retirement.
Think about retirement
You have been working now for at least 20 ish years and thoughts of retirement planning may be beginning to swirl. I don’t know much about being retired but I do know having a retirement plan is more than just putting some money away.
What the heck are you going to do with all that free time? This will be the most free time you’ve had since…well forever. Start collecting hobbies, friends, and interests that will carry you through into an amazing retirement. Whatever you do, don’t just sit. Lesson five: move your body.
Finally as you are solidly into your forties, maybe you’ve had a couple of kids, been sitting too long at the computer. Your bones may sound crunchy, your muscles saggy and you can see youth and beauty is giving way to wisdom and peri-menopause.
Do not resign yourself to being old, or getting old, not yet my friends! Instead push aside the career dominated goals of high school and move you body. Whenever you get a chance, walk, dance, whatever it takes just move you body, enjoy your body. Your body is not only the greatest instrument you will ever own, keeping it healthy is the greatest gift you can give.
The greatest gift
The greatest gift you can give your kids is not that RESP, you so carefully put away. What you can give them is far more cheaper than that. It’s to be a healthy aging adult- one who can keep up with the grandkids or even live long enough to meet the grandkids, who can go for long walks and talks, and who can do coffee visits not hospital visits.
It is not the responsibility of our kids to make sure our aging behinds stay healthy. That responsibility lies squarely on our shoulders and will be the best gift we can give our kids as we continue to age.
We are 24 years out of high school and with so much life lived and so much life ahead of us. Class of 2002 now is the time to embrace adulthood and enjoy the summer of our lives.
