Nothing lasts forever. Nothing. Not the seasons. Not happiness. Not grief. Neither you nor I. Nothing.

Look into a mirror and stare directly into your own eyes and say, “Some day, I am going to be dead. And, in time, nobody will be around to remember me or anything that I’ve ever said or done. And, in still more time, nobody will be around at all.” There is nothing that stays. Absolutely nothing. Not peace. Not energy. Not hair. Nothing.

You’ll wake up one day and look in the mirror and suddenly see that you are no longer young. And, when you stop and think about it, you’ll remember that it was not a sudden thing at all. It was, in fact and of course, a very gradual phenomenon. It’s just that, because it WAS so gradual, you were unaware of the day to day changes that were taking place. But, you are now, in fact, no longer young.

The terrible trick about youth is that, when you have it, you think it will last forever. As youths, we look with distain upon the elderly. We poke fun at the middle-aged. We celebrate our youth and abuse our bodies because we know that they are going to be this way forever.

And then, one day you discover that you can’t run as fast as you used to for as long as you used to. Suddenly, you’ve got aches that don’t go away as quickly as they once did. One morning, you become acutely aware that your body can’t bend as it once did. Nor can you see or hear as clearly as you did just a short time ago.

Now, when you’re out in the pasture carrying a fifty-five pound bale of hay, and you slip and fall on a patch of ice, it isn’t just a few choice words and then you spring back to your feet, pick up the bale, and be on your way. Instead, it’s groan, crawl to you feet, finish your task slowly, and then spend the next six weeks undergoing physical therapy.

Remember when you could touch your big toe to your nose? Go ahead. Try to do that now.

Nothing stays the same. Nothing.

You eat, and you are full, but then, in a little while you are not full any more, and you must eat again.

Friends that you have today may not be with you tomorrow, or, if they are, they may no longer be your friends. They may have changed, or you may have changed. Drifted apart.

Friends die.

Cartoons that you loved as a kid seem so silly now. (Except, of course, for Road Runner and Yosemite Sam.)

Celebrities who were known all over the world a few years ago are unknowns today. (Who remembers Emmet Kelly, Burl Ives, Lenny Bruce, Tennessee Ernie Ford or Ernie Kovacs today?)

Zen tells us that nothing is permanent. So does Christianity. (Heaven and Earth will pass away.)

I have known this almost all of my life, and yet I didn’t really know it at all.

Time seems to slow to a standstill when you are spending a half hour on a treadmill, and yet fifty years goes by in a flash.

Please understand that I am not writing these things to depress or to scare people. I am writing them in an attempt to embrace the undeniable fact of impermanence. I believe that only when a person accepts this concept completely, can he or she live freely and happily.

If you do not die young, then you will grow old and die. It is happening to you right now, even as you read these words.

Youth doesn’t stay. And, no matter how much money you spend on hair dye and face lifts, you are not going to beat time. Grecian Formula and comb-overs don't last, and they don't make any difference anyhow. No matter how much you work out and exercise, your body is going to deteriorate and, ultimately, stop all functions. (If you exercise and take care of yourself, you’ll probably live longer and better. You may slow down the aging process, but you cannot stop it.)

Happiness comes when you can accept the advantages and restrictions that every stage of life presents. As I child, I had boundless energy and little to no wisdom. Nor did I know how to enjoy and appreciate the gifts life has to offer. Even though I subconsciously yearned for security and love, I believed that pleasure and fulfillment came from material things.

As I grow older, I have my aches and pains and medical concerns (heart, blood sugar levels, etc.), but I also have a contentment, a joy for living, and a sense of satisfaction that I’ve never experienced before.

Carpe diem.

When in my twenties and early thirties, I was filled with anxieties, worrying about what I was going to do with my life and how I was going to succeed. (Little did I know then that you do NOTHING with your life. Life itself does all the doing!)

And then, as I got older, my definition of “success” changed dramatically. When I had plenty of money and material things, I found that I was not happy. In fact, I was miserable. Money and things weren't enough. Then, I found the love of my life, married her, and I’ve been deliriously happy ever since. The money and possessions had nothing to do with it.

From this vantage point of my current age, I can see my accomplishments, my inner peace and my successes, and I have the confidence in myself to know that I will succeed at most things that I attempt. And, trust me when I tell you that I would not want to go back my earlier life with all of its anxieties, trials and insecurities, for anything in the world.

Life is transient. It is always in flux. But it is good.

It is more than good.

If I were to give advice to the younger folks, I would say four things:

1. Know that you are going to get old and lose the things of youth. They will be replaced with different wonders that you couldn’t achieve or appreciate at a younger age.

2. Plan for tomorrow, but do not live for tomorrow, and do not put your faith or too much of your hopes in tomorrow.

3. Don't take yourself so seriously. Play more than you work.

4. Live for today. All that you have and all that you are is today. Love today, and love while you are in today, and life will be wonderful.



And the unsolicited advice I have for people of all ages is, simply, love. (Remember that “love” is a noun and a verb, and it is most effective as a verb.) Love everything and everyone that you have, including yourself, right now. You may not have any of it tomorrow. Love everything with all your might, and don’t be afraid to express that love to everyone and everything, male or female, young or old.

Each stage of life has is treasures and its wonders along with its tribulations. And each stage teaches us new things about ourselves and our world.

Life is good.

We are so lucky!