Perhaps the numbers have been predestined?  Perhaps we can manipulate them to some degree?  Nonetheless, the numbers game of life must be played.  We have a certain amount of years to live.  At some point those years we will be challenged with health issues.  At some point in those years we will grow tired and say we have had enough.  When will that be? At what age? How  many more years do we have?  We can try to hedge our bets, we can fight against the inevitable, or we can give in graciously.  Old age will come to all of us who are lucky to be given enough years.  With it will come a reduction in our stamina, our mental capacity, our strength, and our ability to enjoy life.  It may happen at 70 or 90 or 110; but with a certainty, we know it will happen.

The diseases of old age will start to appear, high blood pressure, diabetes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, arthritis, and osteoporosis among others. How many more years do I have?  How many more years do you have?  How do you want to live them?  Who do you want to share them with?

Before we fade into the history of our family tree, what do we want to leave behind for the next generation?  Before we leave this world, what mark will we make on it?  We are a continuation of what has been before us.  Many generations have grown old and made way for their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren.  Many more generations will come and grow old in their own time.  What will our descendants think of us?  Will they even know that we existed, that we thought about them, that we hoped for the best for them?  Will they look into their history in search of familiar family traits and characteristics?  Will they find out who we were and be proud to have come from us?  Will we leave a better world for them or will we have taken all this world has and have left them only scraps?  How much more time do we have to prepare the way for them?

The numbers game of life will go on long after we are gone.  But right now, it is our time to play. Strap in, we are riding up to that last big drop and it’s going to be quite a ride.

http://www.theresadodaro.com   Author of The Tin Box Trilogy