The life given us, by nature is short; but the memory of a well-spent life is eternal.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Task number two in going into my retirement plan is far from being as obvious as packing. It has to do with visualizing the coming years. Everyone I spoke with stressed the need to lay out a path to make retirement fulfilling and meaningful. I walk around for days contemplating ideas. I run different scenarios in my head when I lie awake at night. I secretly spy on my friends and other elderly adults by throwing out what appear to be casual questions, and then, once they turn their back, I comb through their answers for buried treasures. I read books with titles that end in exclamation marks and discard them after the first ten pages with despise. I join Facebook groups only to find that they have nothing to offer. I realize that since Cicero wrote his book On Old Age in 44 BC, not much has happened.
The course of life cannot change. Nature has but a single path and you travel it only once. Each stage of life has its own appropriate qualities—weakness in childhood, boldness in youth, seriousness in middle age, and maturity in old age. These are fruits that must be harvested in due season.
Marcus Tullius Cicero, How to Grow Old
These words seem to tie it all up in a neat, packed package. Everything that I come across after that is either an interpretation or a how-to guide.
The fruits that must be harvested are those of maturity. Somewhere in my seventy-three mature mind are the fruits of a long learning process. This learning should be my guide and see me through this stage of life – growing old.
I reflect on another one of this wise man's quotes.
The life given us, by nature is short; but the memory of a well-spent life is eternal.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
The memory of a life well spent is eternal. This last statement seems to hold an important truth. As I go through the process of packing and choosing what to discard, I also go through the memories stored in my mind. These sixteen years of running our motel have been good years, I tell myself. We liked what we did and did a fine job worthy of respect. These thoughts are calming; they make me feel better. I know that in the coming years while reflecting on this period, I will feel at peace, and it helps.
