Reaching 73

15 May I turn 73 and taking a step back , am really thankful that I have come this far.Far ..yes , because I have seen a lot of good friends and relatives who did not make it this far.Life has been full of excitement, challenges, ups and downs but happily through it all I managed to survive.It was not easy but through the years i have learned that if you are honest, sincere , caring and above all sensible you will somehow find that life is not that bad. There were difficult times especially when I first started work earning just enough to support myself and my parents before I got married and after that my parents and my family.As a teacher we were not wealthy but earned enough to live a fairly comfortable life.What we lacked in money we earned in terms of time.We had time to do a lot of things which we enjoyed and I believe that in life having a lot of money is meaningless if you do not have a chance to enjoy what it brings.I have seen people who throughout their lives try hard to earn as much money as possible and sadly never lived long enough to enjoy it. Life is not just about money.Its more about balance.. balance between earning money and enjoying the things you enjoy doing.You may earn less and have less in terms of money but you may have more in terms of time for yourself and family.These are things which money cannot buy and sadly not many people realise this and really go out of their way trying to climb up the success ladder.This could be at the expense of having time for children and family and most disastrous of all the expense of one's own health. "I spent all my life trying to make money but now in my old age I find that I'm spending my money trying to regain my health which I lost in the process " Money wise I'm not rich but my wealth comes in another for. I am rich because I have a good family, the wife is someone you would not want to replace, the children have turned out to be what you had hoped for , and there is the special joy of seeing the grandchildren growing up.A man is not necessarily rich if he has money .If he has no family and good health he may be poorer than anyone of us who has these things. I have been in this world for 73 and have been privileged to go through so many changes, politically, socially ,technologically and I might add psychologically because today I find that my mindset has changed quite substantially.Going through all these makes one more sensitive, more open minded and tolerant and at the end of it more thankful and grateful to be where we are. I have no regrets, no hard feelings towards anyone and would look forward to enjoying the rest of my years in good health and with my loved ones. Thank you God for letting me come this far !