Thinking Out Loud, Volume DXXI

Every. Single. Day. I don't get a break. My land line rings off the wall all the time. I don't answer it. Both my email inbox and my snail mail box are loaded every day with notices like, "Preston, you've got a birthday coming and it's only a couple months away. You will have some big decisions to make, and we can help you!" If truth in advertising laws were fully enforced, the notices I receive would sound more like this, "Preston, what little bit of money you have, we want it!" You see, I'm less than two months away from birthday number sixty-five, and it's time for Medicare and Medicare Supplements. Here's the truth. I know how old I am, and I don't like being reminded about it non-stop. Yes, I know I have to face reality and sign up for Medicare, and I need to get a supplement policy. I'm taking care of all that. But really, I don't feel sixty-five, and to be honest, I really don't think I'm your typical sixty-five year old man. I'm still working and I have no plans, or even a desire, to retire any time soon. I still get up early about four mornings a week to go running, although I have changed to more of a run/walk routine, and it's still common for me to get in eight or nine miles at a time. I have no plans to stop doing that either. I like most all of the new songs we sing at church, and I still sing along with every one of them. And speaking of church, Angie and I are still very active and have leadership roles at church. Most of my friends are significantly younger than I am. One of my good friends is a pharmacist who jokingly acts frustrated with me sometimes because I so rarely ever need a prescription filled. I'm often asked just what is it that keeps me so active at my age, and I have given some thought to that question. I think it may just simply be a sense of duty, or maybe it's that I still have a purpose. I'm of the opinion that I taught my kids well, and a big part of that teaching was how to make it on their own, yet I choose to believe they and their families still need me. On those really cold mornings, or on the days when the weather may be questionable, if any other person in our running group decides to get out of bed and go for a run, I want to be someone they can depend on to be there to join them, even if they're faster than me. At church I want to be seen as a person who is dependable, faithful, and enthusiastic about my duties, a person who WANTS to be there. At work, I want those I work with to rest assured that I'm still out there making the calls, and I'm always looking to increase sales by opening new accounts. If I ever get to the point to where I'm no longer useful, I hope no one tells me, because it's that sense of duty and purpose that keeps me chugging along. I'll try to remember to update you in about ten years and let you know how it's going. Preston