The mirror

Age is sometimes just a word that pertains to those who couldn’t muster the strength and belief that they could hold their own for more than expected time. Age is looking in the mirror and smiling back at yourself, knowing you wear the battle scars of someone whos walked the walk.

   I can keep up with those much younger than me and sometimes it's them who quit as I keep going because I told myself over and over that I could, I will, I must. I believe inner strength has to come out of the prison some people trap themselves in

   Everyone will succumb to death sooner or later. Some will age waiting for it to come calling and others understand that someday they will have to finally stop but not until the last adventure and the final walk on the endless beaches have been completed.

   I love this life filled with thousands of stories, some of which I wrote both on paper and in doing. I was a sailor of the vast oceans finding love in every port.I was a product of a generation who wasn’t afraid to experiment. I longed to learn all I could welcoming the conversations of the ancient ones who shared their times that sometimes became my times eager to share with ears of all ages willing and wanting to listen.

   Age isn't something to fear or dread, it’s a lifestyle to be thankful for, but you must accept that some things can now be only memories. As I look into that mirror, I smile that same smile I wore as a child even though the wrinkles of time have altered its state a wee bit. I see a man who lived a life filled with good and evil, someone who suffered the pain of loss and the emptiness of being alone. But I think the most meaningful thing I see is it's still me looking back at me, and somehow I still manage to smile back with a twinkle in my bloodshot eyes

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