Old Age, I have decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over my body, the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging gut, the loss of hair, and the false teeth. And often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror (who looks just like my father!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my wonderful wife, my amazing friends, my wonderful broadcasting career and loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra homemade peanut butter and chocolate cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging. I have, because of reunions, seen the same young men and women I worked in Radio & TV with in the 60’s, 70’s, & 80's, have grown older at the same pace as I.  Thanks to the internet, I have been able to re-connect with many of the men I served with in Vietnam and also made it home....and they too, have grown older.

Say, whose business is it if I choose to play on the computer until 2 AM and sleep until 9 AM?

I will continue trying to be my wife's best friend - she sure is my best friend.  I will continue to sing (out of tune) to those wonderful tunes of the 50’s & 60's.  I will continue to attend the monthly H.O.G., VFW,  SAAPA, and CAP meetings.   I will continue harassing the dogs.  I will continue to never wear socks. I will continue uplinking satellite signals to space - a job I really love.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one or even when somebody's beloved pet dies? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray (and falling out), and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn gray.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question:

I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat those homemade peanut butter & chocolate cookies every single day. (If I feel like it - and my wife will keep making them)

Work like you don't need the money...

Love like nobody has ever hurt you...

Dance like nobody is watching...

Sing like nobody is listening...

Live as if this was paradise on Earth...

                                                                                                          The Florida Dude