I'll Have No Regrets

I've been thinking about life in general recently. 

Eldercare isn't easy. For me, though, it hasn't been horrible either.

I've been able to spend more time with my father in the last two years than I have since I left high school.  

Its prompted me to think about things while I still can.  

How will I approach that time when I might seem okay on the outside but the gears aren't really meshing under the hood. I really don't know. All I can control is how I live now. 

My dad has a 30 years' head start on me, so, hopefully, I have about thirty years. I think reaching the age of 90 would be excellent.

I saw this the other day. 

According to the 2012 article, Top Five Regrets Of The Dying, in The Guardian,when people come to the end of life their biggest regrets are, and I quote:

    1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
    2.  I wish I hadn't worked so hard.
    3.  I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings.
    4.  I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
    5.  I wish that I had let myself be happier.

I'm determined to not have those regrets when the clutch starts slipping and the pistons start misfiring. 

How do I accomplish that? How do I counter those things most people regret? Countermeasures baby!  I have a choice.

1. I'll do what I can and let go of the rest.
2. I'll fill my days with stuff that makes life worth living: 
   1. My other half,
      
   2. Long walks,
   3. Drawing,
   4. Painting,
   5. Reflecting,
   6. Writing,
   7. ...and, of course, God, please, pretty please, I hope there is a fabulous flopsy eared dog
   8. ...oh, and, how can I leave out ... a long sandy beach. 
   9. ... and, oh yeah, a cozy fire.
   10. ... and ... shhhh ... a wee dram of whiskey.

That's my list. Those are my countermeasures. It sounds like great ammunition to me. 
And - I'll make it fun! Shouldn't it all be fun? 

I will make what I make and do what I do the best way I can and I promise not to take myself too seriously. 

I'll keep on creating till I get to the end of this journey so I can "... skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!” - Hunter S. Thompson The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967 

When I see you on the road or on the other side, I hope you’ll have no regrets.

Until then, I wish you peace. 

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Monday is Memorial Day when we honor the men and women who have died while serving in the military. 

Let's reflect on those we honor this weekend, honor their sacrifice, the sacrifice of their families, and their comrades in arms. ​