On the morning of November 9th, 2018, I will be closer to the age of 70 than the day I was born. If all goes as planned, I have 35 years left of work and then a solid couple of decades in blissful retirement. All of this terrifies me. I feel like time is slipping away and there is still so much to do. At the age of 35, there is still so much of the world I want to see. There are new experiences, food, people, cultures, and moments yet to be cherished. If I have a choice, I would prefer to do these things with a sound mind and body. I don’t want my body to force me into a life of regret.

I look at the men and women I know who are around the age of 70 who are starting to battle real health concerns; men like my dad. Repeated battles with cancer have robbed him of the ability to do anything too labor intensive. Chemo and doctor’s appointments keep him tied to Oklahoma. I hear the heartache in his voice and see it in the way he acts. I know he wishes he could do more. There is still so much life for him to experience, but his body is betraying him. I wish I could take some of that pain, but all I can do is watch and hope such a fate doesn’t become mine.

Of course, I know men and women who appear to be perfectly healthy. They eat right, get plenty of exercise, and maintain a curious mind. Beyond that, this health thing seems to be a roll of the dice. Still, over and over again 70 seems to be the magic number where life gets challenging. As someone who can see 70 down the road, I want to do everything in my power to make sure my chances of a long healthy life is possible. I also want to make sure I am not waiting until retirement to check some major milestones off of my list.

This life is too short to wait. We aren’t promised tomorrow, and I don’t want to be on death’s door wishing I had done more. This post stands as a motivator for me and all those who come across it to do the same. We have to live life while we have it.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan

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