“Feelin' all of 45...”

This is the week – on Friday I will turn 45 years old and I am feeling every day of it right now. Two weeks ago my body passed a kidney stone - my first and hopefully my last. This morning I strained a muscle in my shoulder just shaving! It is as sore as can be and I don’t know why except that I am out of shape.

Earlier this spring I had to get my first pair of “progressive” lenses. Those are the glasses that make it possible for you to read and watch TV at the same time. I was constantly taking my old glasses on and off in the evenings as I tried to first focus close – then far away.

I feel like I am falling apart. I have aches in places where I’ve never ached before.

It’s amazing how much of our emotional well-being is dependant on our physical bodies working properly. I am just starting to realize the connection and I need to do something serious about it.

Does anybody else wonder how you woke up one day and found yourself to be 45? I guess, like the rest of life, it happens one day at a time.

I am really struggling with this right now. When I think back on all the wasted moments that add up to days and weeks of time squandered on my own selfishness that did not improve me one iota or help others in anyway.

I am trying to examine where I am at this point in my life and how I can move forward in a manner that reflects that I have learned something from my experiences over the last 45 years. Some of that happens automatically. Some of it requires some serious consideration and thoughtfulness.

We all want our lives to count for something and mine has been a good one thus far. I have made a difference in the lives of others and the friendships I have are enduring ones.

However, I don’t want to just keep cruising along and reach age 65 having let another 20 years slip by. It’s time for a rest stop. I am looking for a retreat center nearby where I can get away for 24 hours and jump start the process.