Wisdom? Perspective? What's Happening Here?

I hear guys talking about the deer-hunting season that just opened last weekend. I can remember back when I was an avid hunter. I could hardly wait for the season to begin. It was a part of who I was. It was a mixture of the excitement but mostly it was a way of life for those of us who were raised up in a rural, country world. I did try to keep doing some hunting after moving to the metro area but it became more and more difficult and slowly but surely my enthusiasm adjusted to reality and I was no longer a hunter. I’m not one of those who think that everyone who hunts is a Bambi killer; I just no longer have the access or interest to do it any more.

I can remember back when I was a football fanatic. We followed a local professional team one year so closely that the entire family had team outfits to wear. When I look at those pictures today it makes me laugh because we all looked so ridiculous. I would watch games and act all crazy and keep up with all the stats and I always eagerly looked forward to the next one coming up. There were even times when I would open up the house completely on a cool, crisp fall evening so that I could have a breeze coming in and could better visualize me being at the game. Today I watch some of it occasionally but other than keeping up with it in a general way, I’m pretty much out of football.

I can also remember back when I was a politics and news addict. I could watch news programs non-stop and loved keeping up with the latest developments in government and what was happening on the political map. I still read quite a bit of news information and I watch some news programs on television and I will confess to being interested in many of the CSPAN programs. The recent Friday night series on the presidential libraries has been something to behold! Alas, I haven’t been able to see them all but those I’ve seen have been tremendously entertaining and informative. I guess the missing part of my news addiction is that I no longer have a passion for it. I still like it but I don’t get all nervous and upset if I miss a particular debate or other important program.

I guess that’s the big change. I still enjoy hunting but I no longer hunt. I still enjoy football but I no longer am unhappy if I miss out on an important game. I guess I’m more plugged into NASCAR than any other pastime at the moment but even it doesn’t monopolize my time or cause me to make sure I’m somewhere where I can watch the race. All of these extracurricular activities have become background music to me now in this phase of my life. I’ve always been thought of as an over achiever so maybe I’m doing ‘getting old’ too well. Or it might be that I’ve looked at the entire landscape of my life and changed the lens through which I see things. That sounds kind of creepy philosophical to me.

Some might think me to now be a religious fanatic but I would hardly believe that I could qualify for this distinction. I do take what I do in response to what God has done for me seriously and I do attempt to be consistent and faithful in keeping my service commitments. I would hope wisdom and perspective are a huge part of the change that has taken place. Family is more important to me than it ever has been in my life. I don’t like to miss a day without making contact with all of my boys to check on them and their families. I would rather spend time with my wife than go and do some of the things that used to be interesting to me. While these changes may sound very dull to many, I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on much. And, don’t even get me going about my grand kids. Spending time with them is piling blessings on top of blessings.

These changes, however, do give me reason to pause when I recall just how intense I used to be about things that I now can easily take or leave. I remember back in the old days before cable that on New Year’s Day I would busily gather up the three television sets we had and with rabbit ears and an outside antenna I would attempt to watch three games simultaneously. The kids hated it because I would have their tiny set tied up. My wife was okay as long as she was able to watch the parades. Come to think about it, I don’t think she cares that much about the parades any more.

I guess pretty soon we will just sit and watch each other and play games with the “clapper” (if we had one) taking turns playing turn the light on and off. No, we wouldn’t do that because it would lesson the life of the light bulbs and might cause other troubles. That wisdom thing sure can take the fun out of stuff! Maybe I have finally fulfilled the joke from so many years ago. It went like this: “When I was young it was wine, women, and song. Now it’s Metracal, same old gal, and sing along with Mitch”. Okay, for you younger folks, Metracal was one of the original food supplement diet drinks and the Mitch Miller television program was one where people could sing along and it featured many of the all time old standards. For you it would be like inviting someone over to your house to listen to elevator music.

With all of those special interests no longer on my radar screen, I wonder why I am fully occupied and busy as a bee for eighteen hours a day? Maybe soon I will try to figure this out. .…. more later.