On My 77th Birthday

I was born in 1948. The average white male in America can expect to live 75.3 years, so I’ve already beaten those odds. I had a heart attack twenty years ago and brought me to the brink of death in a hospital ER. Only 25% of the people who have a heart attack in a hospital survive. I beat those odds too. Actuarial tables predict I’ll live another 10.0 years. What am I going to do with those years?

• Stop keeping score. Declare Victory. Move on.
• I can control diet, calories, exercise, sleep, medication, healthy pursuits, and mental well-being, but I haven’t. I need to change that.
• I love my wife. She’s a beautiful woman. She loves me back. I will treasure each day together.
• I know what I should do. I know what I have to do. I know the right thing to do. Do that. Don’t do the other shit.
• I want to listen better.
• If I have something I need to write, I’d better start now.