As you get older, you find there are a number of changes. Most of them are not beneficial – aches and pains in places you had not realized were places, more frequent and scarier visits to doctors and conversations with friends that focus more on funerals than weddings.

But there is one advantage – perspective. By that I mean the ability to look at life from the top of a mountain rather than the brow of a hill. From this elevated vantage point you look at people and realize there are really only two significant groups and they have nothing to do with race, sex, age, religion and nationality.

The first group is that collection of people who will be alive after I have died. The other consists of those people who I will outlive.

To be sure some of us believe that when we leave the earth, our existence continues in a different form. But what that form is we do not know. Will we have friends? Will there be recreation? And importantly, will there be sunrises and sunsets? We should be careful to not let a bunch of “stuff” clutter our thinking. Not that we should not plan for the future but that we ought not miss “NOW.”

Purses made by Gucci do not hold a woman’s immediate needs better than a canvas bag. A gold Rolex keeps time no better than a $19 watch from Walgreen’s. You can get to work as quickly in a Saturn as you can a Mercedes. Not that luxury goods are irrelevant. Rather they are not that important.

Remember that your daughter will only have one first dance recital. Your son will have only one first at bat against another team. Your spouse will only have one 50th birthday.

Things like these are worthy of your concern and your protection. But do not let the problems of the day control your life. An old man once said “I had a lot of problems in my life, most of which never happened.” You can create an overwhelming burden by trying to solve this afternoon all of the problems you will have in the next 12 months.

Plan for the future and do not ignore it. But never ever let the planning for the future make you miss life today. And do not wait until you are 60 to develop perspective – head to the top of that mountain now!

Rick Kerger is a trial lawyer at Kerger & Hartman LLC in Toledo.

Tags: Gucci, Rick Kerger

This entry was posted on Friday, August 3rd, 2012 at 9:49 am and is filed under Guest Column, Opinion.
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