Age brings lots of things and some are not so pleasant. Among the obvious things, it is harder to exercise. When you are older there are things you should not eat unless you are willing to suffer the consequences. As you age it is even more of a challenge to roll out of bed early every morning. That is especially true for those of us still working well into our Social Security years.
Even some of the things that I love to do are more challenging. I find myself lacking the desire to take my boat out every week. That is certainly the case when the water is cold. Now I am a fair weather boater. It also takes a lot longer to accomplish what I want to get done.
Mowing the yard, going for a beach hike, doing some kayaking and biking all in the same day is unlikely to happen. Even the less physical things are more challenging. I used to write a lot in the evenings before bed. Now that writing in the evening is far less frequent. Certainly building things is more of a planned exercise than a fire drill to see how fast I can get it done.
However, there is one great blessing that comes with age and that is patience. As you get older you learn that while the world seems to move at breakneck speed, not everything requires an instant response. Age teaches you that sometimes sitting back and observing things is the right thing to do. If you believe every email that you get, we are obviously in a do or die struggle for fundraising almost every evening.
I ignore most of the fundraising emails and all of the fundraising telephone calls. I rarely answer a telephone call unless I recognize the person calling me. If an unknown caller has an important message, they will leave a message and I can call them back. The unrecognized callers rarely leave a message.
Our country is potentially on the brink of a constitutional crisis, but we are not there yet. We have survived over a year of attacks on honesty and our institutions. Yet I cannot let myself be worked up into a frenzy every day. It is impossible to sustain that level of energy until the mid-term elections.
I believe that our institutions will survive this formidable attack. I was around for the sixties so I have seen my fair share of turmoil and change. Life has taught me that those in power often overplay their hand and that the great pendulum of power held by the people can easily swing back and quickly wipe out those who have threatened this country. Many have given their lives that our country can be a beacon of hope in the world. That kind of firm foundation cannot be so easily destroyed by those who daily trample on the truth.
Having patience is more than lack of action, it means waiting until you know you are doing the right thing. It also means picking your battles and planning for a true victory, not just a symbolic one. It means learning the real facts and being willing to stand up for them when the lines between good and evil are clearly drawn. Perhaps patience is just another element of the learning that seems to come easier as you age. We are not marching in the streets every day but a cleansing tidal wave of good is building all the same.
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