Shade Tree Wisdom – diary 8/5/07

Many people find asking this question a good conversation starter with older folks. “Is there anything you would do different if you had life to live over again?

Well?

One of my favorite columnists, Leon Hale, recently talked of this, and put this thought into his words. “I believe, if I had to do it again, I would write about things that happened to me each day. Even if it was just the same thing over again.”

I agree, because one tends to forget many things as the years add up.

Then I remembered that for years, I wrote our children a letter weekly. I did it on Monday mornings around 6:30 and got it on the way. [That ended when we got into this modern age and had computers to communicate. We can easily, but often don’t, and it’s too bad.] Because I kept a copy of all those letters and find that in each I wrote about our life, or what the Church was doing, how things were tending, what difficulties we faced, what was going on . I mentioned stuff I had forgotten, and re-reading them now brings things to mind again.

In today’s letter, for example, I would probably make a comment on the recent craze called ‘zorbing’. It’s such a wonderful thing that I am sure I would have forgotten what it is about in a few days or weeks. What is it? You get strapped inside a huge ball and rolled down a hill. Isn’t that wonderful? Now don’t rush out and try it. I imagine those balls cost quite a bit, and where would you store such a thing?

Anyway, such comments on the passing scene, and remembrances of little surprises, an unexpected visit, a special gift, a warm day on a family picnic, or the time we were driving on vacation along the upper side of Lake Superior, and the children just ‘had’ to stop at a little park and try the water. And made a discovery. Lake Superior is cold even in August!

So, what do you think? What would you change if you had days to live over again? It makes an interesting study, doesn’t it?

GPD 8/5/07