The rules...
The rules were always there. So I've lived a life filled with rules meant to help me survive and thrive. But now, at the end of the Golden Years, I only have three rules left.
The first rule. I make up my own diet without the help of the government, the doctors, or the statisticians. It's simple. When I want to eat something and can get my hands on it, I eat it.
The second rule. I make up my own financial plan without the help of the government, banks, or financial planners. When I want something and I have $6 in my pocket and the item costs $4.99 plus tax, I buy it. If I don't have $6, then I wait until I do.
The final rule. If I can't think of anything else to do, I go to sleep.
Today I ran into a guy on the sidewalk collecting for D.A.R.E. A beginning contribution usually cost $10. I listen but don't give them anything, whether they are standing in front of me, calling me on the phone, or soliciting me by letter. Instead I bought a neighbor and myself a drink last Sunday. He did me a favor, I felt good visiting with him, and I left the waitress a 20 percent plus tip. I didn't change the world, but I knew where my $20 went to.
Back when I was learning to read, authors really knew how to name books:
East Of Eden, The Young Lions, Gone With The Wind, For Whom The Bell Tolls, The Naked And The Dead, and
From Here To Eternity for a few. So what about
Alan and
Marilyn Bergman lyrics to the song
What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?
Isn't the rest of your life what comes after the Golden Years?