There's an Old Man in My Mirror

 Aging is tough, but it sure beats the alternative. And it's nothing to drink over. Bear with me through this post until I get to the point.

I've watched sadly as school friends keep passing away. Last month it was John, one of my besties throughout school. Tom died of a heart attack quite a while ago. Keith went to the University of Arizona on a football scholarship but died in a dune buggy accident. Van ran cross-country with me. He died in his 30s near the finish line of a 10K sponsored by his own uncle, a local restauranteur. I played basement hockey with Jeff, who died on a golf course last year,

In my own family, I lost my dad when he was just 49. I have a sister who survived cancer, another had a stroke, a brother-in-law died of cancer, and another suffered a serious stroke. I am older than all of them.

I work out and eat salad for lunch almost every day. Yet arthritis prevents me from running (I completed 29 marathons), I had a hip replaced, a knee replaced, an intestinal blockage removed, and back surgery to give room to my spinal cord because I couldn't walk as far as the mailbox without collapsing.

Now the point: I don't drink over any of this. Instead, I thank God for getting me through another day. I accept my mortality and the mortality of friends and family as part of God's will. My daily prayer is please, God, may I do your will, whatever that is. "...on earth, as it is in heaven...."