On reaching 80...

[Mr.Harry]

Wisdom. I don’t know you but happy birthday. Your list makes a lot of sense. My pop is 83 and I am 47. I know for a fact that I needed his guidance beyond my 30th birthday. Much more so than my other 6 siblings, older and younger. Good man, you. And all elders.

I should edit to add, I still thank god for his guidance this day. You never out-grow the wisdom of a parent, especially when you’re still struggling to figure out parenthood yourself.

 

[les.b]

Good advice even for us older folks!!

Happy Birthday!!

Best Regards, Les

 

[JSR III]

Happy Birthday!!! Well said. I remember a cross stitch saying that my mom had framed and hanging in our home growing up supposedly from Pennsylvania Dutch country.

"We get to soon old, and too late smart"

 

[Abbynormal]

That is the best "Sage" knowledge I've ever heard!

And 100% on the mark!

Thank you and enjoy your birthday!

 

[Onomea]

Happy birthday, John. And thank you for distilling 80 years of wisdom into 17 short points for our benefit.

 

[ancient-one]

Have a very Happy Birthday! I would sure like to be 80 again.

 

[pawncop]

Birthday greetings from Texas. Outstanding observations.

 

[BC38]

All excellent advice and happy birthday John.
I hope to make it as far and be as wise myself someday.

 

[jimbo728]

Happy Birthday John! Your words of wisdom are beautiful!
Jim

 

[M29since14]

Happy 80th to you, sir! As Leon always says, “Have a blessed day!”

 

[REM 3200]

Great post, John. I'll be there in 3 years, I hope. I try to live as my parents wanted me to.
Their wishes are very close to the points you bring out in your wonderful post.

Have a very Happy Birthday and I hope many more.

 

[shouldazagged]

It's now your eightieth, John--the time is 0023. I wish you as many more as your want, each better than the one before.

I'm a little over a year older than you, and most of the points you made are lessons I, like many people, had to learn the hard way. Some the very hard way. But hard-earned wisdom is wisdom still, and is one of the blessings of old age.

Welcome to the ranks of the officially old.

 

[rwsmith]

Happy Birthday Song............

o/'' Happy Birthday to you o/'
o/'' Happy Birthday to you o/'
o/'' Happy Birthday dear Jo-ohnnnn o/'
o/'' Happy Birthday to yooooooooooooou o/'

o/' And 80 mooooooore o/'

Oh. And thanks for the advice. This 63 year old whippersnapper is always open for a lesson.

 

[STCM(SW)]

Happy birthday also!
And I'm only 2.5 years behind you.
Man, youth is wasted on the young......
Then again, would I've done anything different?
Maybe, but I'm happy with what has happened so far.....

 

[crazyphil]

Happy birthday Paladin. Great list. By the time we are old enough
to know everything we should know, unfortunately, we can't remember it.

Only thing I would add is to cultivate a good sense of humor.
As Will Rogers said: "We are all here for a spell, get all the good
laughs you can."

Yesterday my 62 year old daughter told me she had pains in her
knee. I said welcome to the elderly. I'll be 84 if I can make it another
36 days.

 

[LouisianaJoe]

Happy Birthday! I will be 74 in May so I have a bit of catching up to do.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Fine advice. Your not old, just well seasoned.

I wish you a happy birthday John, and many more.

 

[OLDSTER]

Happy Birthday John. What firearm is going to be purchased to celebrate ?? And thank you for another great post ( as usual).

 

[steelslaver]

Happy Birthday!

I wish I had known all your wisdom when I was younger. I am sure some wise old farts tried to tell me most of it, but being young I was to "smart" to listen.
Which is one of the things that gets me. I try to clue in the younger people I meet. I get Uh HUHs and can tell most of it is getting shunted off to the side track. Hopefully at some point, it will click in and they will go the old fart told me that.

 

[Murphy's Law]

Not far behind you (72) .......Happy Birthday and great words of wisdom and things to live by for a happy life based on ones experiences.