Aging...

I have only been home for one weekend in the last six weeks which has started to make me realize that my body and energy is not what it once was. While I have never been a nomad that enjoyed traveling, I would remember of days in the past that any excuse was enough to not be at home. I remember one day picking up only what I had on and my wallet to head out for a long weekend journey. With not even a hotel reserved, we eventually bought a tent and clothes and camped out at a beach on a beautiful island off the coast of Puerto Rico. While even that was a stretch, I had always enjoyed new experiences with the company of those I love.

That continues today as I have experienced how younger family members have also gotten older and have started to have their own families. While some have remained close, other have had their paths lead to be far so when a chance arises to visit each other, we still take it. During my week in Puerto Rico, some family members told us of their plans to visit others up in Central Florida. Logistics were complicated for all as the window of opportunity to all sync at the same place was today Saturday. However, the need to drive back was a struggle for some budgets and the idea started to go downhill.

Thanks to technology which continues to be literally at the tip of our fingers, I was happy to see that hotels were not really expense for one night up here. Without hesitation, we booked two rooms for 11 of us (don’t tell the hotel of the one extra) which will combine with another 5 that live nearby. So our travel begun early this morning and despite being excited about seeing everyone, the busy weeks I have had are weighing on me and long drives are not as fun as they used to be. However, when we finally arrived we were able to enjoy the company of everyone and catch up of new stories as well as remember great ones from the past!

While I am surprised the hotels has not called us to keep the noise down, I will not be surprised to have to take our little group elsewhere so we are looking at where to eat and spend the rest of the night nearby. However, I am definitely out of energy as I see the beds on the other side of the room and think about laying for some rest although I have been able to stand aside to write this for my Saturday life post. It has been a good change of scene for me as the office has brought about enough stress for me to need some time to think about something different.

This is not the first time I have found myself thinking about aging and amazed at how quickly life passes. It has gotten me to really consider the implications of decisions I make and how they determine how I will spend my time. I cannot see the office and desk as a place I want to spend the majority of the rest of my life at. Instead, how can I leverage those decisions to make more of my time with the family as it provides great memories and experiences to get me through the tough times. Now it depends on my actions to ensure I can execute to make this a reality.

We often allow time to pass us by yet forget to enjoy that journey. I have plenty of checklists to do and while some should be checked off and forgotten about, others should be enjoyed to feel good about the achievements, milestones, and memories it entails for one’s life. I have often said here that it is not about the destination; but instead, it is the journey! I look forward to seeing the ecosystem age as well as the community continues to passionately ensure its development and engagement!