Happiness is the Best Dividend of All

History is about to swallow 2008. The big fish of time is about to overtake the little fish of one measly year. How brief a year is. How transient and swift is its passage. And we, we who no longer count the hours or the days, are caught up in the piracy of months and quarters. Here and gone.

Aging is a process requiring the ability to adjust to speed. Everything seems to move faster, but us. As in “Fiddler on the Roof,” sunrise, sunset, how swiftly go the days.
From gainfully employed to suddenly retired. From a father or mother to children to empty nesters. From in charge to needing to be charged up. From active to deactivated.

Of course, not all nor any of these have to be true for the senior who finds him/herself suddenly cast into a new life role. Those who are astute started long before the presentation of the gold watch to make necessary adjustments. If days pass quickly, it is often because the calendar remains full and the activities demanding. Busyness is available and some find it absolutely essential to have every day chock full of things to do. Some of that is avoiding looking at the calendar by days and weeks, but only as a reminder of what’s up next.

Eventually, of course, the calendar is a critical partner. The calendar is nothing more than a blank page with days and weeks and months identified on it. How you make use
of it, perceive it, manage it and allow it to manage you is entirely your choice.

Next year is already virtually up to bat. For older persons, I expect, most have already posted sundry medical appointments, check ups, visits. Others have identified birthdays and other special occasions. Still others have plotted out trips to be taken, goals to be met, celebrations to host.

Forward looking is a very healthy exercise. Letting the past slip quietly away, having savored it, perhaps celebrating it with the singing of “Auld Lang Syne,” while moving on to a hearty Happy New Year to all, is a chance to invest in what lies ahead. The dividends will be returned daily!