I celebrated another birthday this past week. I suppose that normally would be nothing to think very much about, but I recently learned that over 10 percent of my high school graduating class has passed from the scene.
Some 40 or more graduates of the Dobyns-Bennett High School, of Kingsport, Tenn., class of 1969 are gone. I am among those who have survived — thus far.
I am 64 now, older than I ever thought I would be when I was back in high school. Back then, my future consisted of Friday night football and Saturday night date night. Who knew I would make it this far? So, as a wise older guy, and member of AARP, a few reflections are in order.
First on the negative side: I thought all those athletic activities I was involved with as a youth and young man would mean I would be in better shape. I put in eight years of football, 25 years of martial arts, and countless miles of running when I served in the Marine Corps.
And, now, my knees are shot. I have gone through two knee surgeries and likely face two knee replacements sometime soon. And, the doc says I need to lose weight. Other than that, doc says I am pretty healthy. So, all in all, not too bad.
I read that a study was done sometime in the recent past to determine why older people act old. The questions were: Do people act old because they are old? Or do people act old because other people expect them to act old?
If I were to guess, our aging bodies betraying us notwithstanding, I would say that people act old because they are expected to act a certain way at a certain age. Over the years I have heard, “Act your age,” “there’s no fool like an old fool,” “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” and the like.
I do think that my father’s generation gave in to these suggestions more readily than mine does. The baby boomers, of which I am a member, do not, for the most part, intend to go quietly into that dark night.
When my father was 50, he was looking forward to retirement. Not me. I might retire (which in my view means hiring people to do that part of my job I don’t want to do and keep doing the things I like and am good at) if I win the big lottery but, if I do, I do not intend to sit on the front porch and rock my remaining days away.
Assuming I make it another six years, I will start drawing Social Security at age 70, but I still intend to work. Someone asked me once what my retirement plan was. I replied, “To work until I die and then go be with Jesus.” That is still the plan.
There are things I can’t do unless and until I get my knees fixed and lose weight. No martial arts (maybe Tai Chi), no running, no basketball, flag football, church league softball, sky diving, or anything else that requires strong knees. Right now, I even have to pray standing or sitting — no kneeling.
But my mind, such as it is, is just fine regardless of what my kids say. When I turn 65, I plan to take some college classes since I can do that for free in Georgia as an older dude.
What will I study? I don’t know — something that will cause me to ponder and think. Perhaps study something that I would not have studied when I was trying to build a resume, a career, and a life.
But, today, life is good. I serve a great congregation, have a wonderful family, and, once in a while, do something good that benefits someone else. On the outside, I’m 64 but, on the inside, I’m still the guy I was at 20. There’s lots of life left to experience, God willing, and I don’t want to miss any of it.
[David Epps is the pastor of the Cathedral of Christ the King, Sharpsburg, GA (www.ctkcec.org). He is the bishop of the Mid-South Diocese which consists of Georgia and Tennessee (www.midsouthdiocese.org) and the Associate Endorser for the Department of the Armed Forces, U.S. Military Chaplains, ICCEC. He may contacted at [email protected].
