The past ten years have brought several major changes to my life, at the stage of life when change is most difficult and least welcome and I would have much preferred constancy and stability.

In past decades, I happily moved across the country and back, traveled abroad, and twice lived overseas — savoring each new experience as an opportunity for learning, growth, adventure, and a whole lot of fun. Those were great times.

But — no matter how we may miss the years of always planning something new and potentially exciting — and if we’re lucky enough to reach seniority without senility, there inevitably comes that day when we must accept that an “adventure” now consists of dinner out, a new book by our favorite author, or an evening at the theater, and that the parameters of our lives are shrinking rather than expanding.

Anything more is simply not gonna happen.

Seeking words of wisdom on the subject of dealing with life’s vicissitudes, I came across this from computer technology pioneer Steve Jobs:

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

Well, that was easy for him to say. Jobs passed away at just 56 years of age, and thus was always young enough to be able to contemplate change with a minimum of trepidation. And it is good advice for those who are still able to take a leap of faith, rather than risk being stuck in an imperfect situation.

As for me, while I applaud Jobs’ forward-looking approach, I’m still searching for the words of wisdom that apply to people of my generation. Perhaps I’d better narrow my search to the utterances of octogenarians.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/27/26