Wow, I haven't written in months. Had to look up my password to get into this blog. Can't do that to myself--this time writing is too important, but also too hard to come by these days. That's my excuse, at least.
Months have passed, and I'm that much closer to the half-century mark. I never thought it would be a big deal--no mid-life crisis...no gold chains and a Corvette...no leaving reality to "find myself" in a foreign country...no bucket list countdowns. And there's really not anything like that. Just deeper thoughts. "Getting old is a mindset" or whatever that saying is...it's true, to a point. I can control my mind and body for the most part. At least so far. Staying young is an art. Or immature, in my case. I've pretty much stopped paying attention to politics, try to avoid assholes as much as possible, act like a big, dumb kid, and drink and listen to rock & roll music lots. Lots. I have little kids at an older age, so I owe it everyone--especially myself--to try and stay young. Gotta keep that balance. But man, unappetizing thoughts start to become more and more prevalent. All my boomers are in their 70s & 80s now. Gen X friends, relatives, and acquaintances are becoming sick or peeling off in their 40s & 50s. It's a bummer, but that's how it goes. All of us lucky enough to take this trip have to wind it down at some point. So the definition of the word I suppose I am leaning towards is "preparation". For myself. For others. Others that are heading into another stage of their lives, be it growing into their 70s & 80s...or others that are little kids and deserve all that I can give them, now and later. Preparing mentally and physically. It's weird, this feels like a brand new category or chapter, more so than any other part of my life so far. When you get older, which I am, you start thinking about what's important and what's not. What was Important a couple weeks ago was going to Disneyland. What's going to be important next week is flying into St. Louis. What's going to be important for the remainder of my time is having adventures, good times, and creating a lasting foundation for those important to me. "What the fuck does 'creating a lasting foundation' mean?" That's a pretty good question. I guess it means a few things. First off, and probably most important, is that I need to make sure my kids are grounded. Not when they get in trouble for saying "shit"--the other grounded. I need to make sure they're solid, as much I can. The rest is on them. But they need the tools--the mindset, the communication, and wherewithal to help them out. That's basically called "parenting", so let's dive deeper. For a while, as dumb as this sounds, I thought that one of my hobbies could some day help my kids out financially. I collect old comic books, and I've got a pretty spectacular collection. The investment just keeps climbing in value, and my thought was to keep purchasing as the market allows, keep adding, and then one day, presumably when I'm gone, the kids could use that money for college or whatever. Not a bad idea. Not a bad investment. But I think I want to cash in that investment for something meaningful...something that will serve as a foundation for not only my kids' future, but for all of those I dig. I moved to Colorado for a reason. Because I like outside. I like the Rocky Mountains. I'd like to own a piece of the Rocky Mountains. Like I said, I've been thinking a lot about what's important at age (almost) 50. I'm parenting the best I can. I'm keeping in touch and visiting my friends the best I can. I'm visiting my relatives (whom are some of my best friends) the best I can. If and when I can procure a chunk of land in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, then my kids and their friends and their friends' parents, and my friends, and my family--we could all benefit from visiting this special place. Camping and bike riding and fishing and bird watching and moose spotting and hunting and sitting and relaxing...everyone needs this. And you talk about a foundation. Having something for everyone important to me to enjoy is what you call a foundation. More than comic books. Realistic scenario number one: I keep said comics, they keep increasing in value, 15yr old Hank wants money to buy a keg of Keystone Light, he sells said comics for $200 instead of $120,000, and we're all fucked. Except for that one night that 15yr old Hank and his dipshit friends enjoy an illegal, ice cold, delicious keg of Keystone Light. Realistic scenario number two: The comic book market bottoms out and I'm stuck with basically getting my money back. (not very realistic, but possible I guess) Realistic scenario number three: I do what I said I was going to do--sell books, buy land--my family--older & younger, close & far away, friends and neighbors, all benefit from a piece of privately owned land in the Rocky Mountains. Bonds are created, foundations for what is important are set, lasting memories are made, and moose are seen. That's my mid-life crisis. But it makes sense to me. It's not just for me, it's for everyone. Sure, it's an investment, but one that we all can enjoy. So I guess there is more than just deeper thoughts involved at this age. Clearly, this is me talking myself into it. By the way, Disneyland was rad. Star Wars Land was epic--the 8yr old in me who has never left was ecstatic. Thanks for asking. ...
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AuthorI am Earl. Archives
May 2024
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