We are soon coming to the end of this year, which means, in my case, that I am also closing in on my next birthday. My upcoming birthday (like my last birthday) is one of those birthdays that begins with a number that rhymes with "great."
In the last year or so, when people have asked me how I'm doing, I have often found myself replying: "Pretty good for an old guy." That "old guy" descriptor does go along, pretty well, with any birthday that starts out with a number that rhymes with "great."
The other day, though, I put that "how are you doing?" question to a friend of mine, as we both walked out of Quaker Meeting, and my friend had a different way of responding. Here's what he said:
I'm Rounding Third
I kind of got a kick out of that, because I could certainly say exactly the same thing, and I do like that baseball metaphor. I also appreciated the fact that my friend's way of responding to the question treated the inquiry as one that didn't just apply to the immediate moment in which the inquiry was made. Instead, and much more profoundly, my friend's response treated the question as though it were not to be answered within the framework of the immediate moment, but within the framework and context of my friend's entire life.
When I consider my upcoming birthday, and with a brand New Year quickly to follow on, a year that we have every expectation will be challenging to all of us, the fact that I am "rounding third," right now, does make me think.
And here's what I think. Just like the guy in the picture at the top of this blog posting, I have built up a big head of steam, as I am rounding third, and I am feeling pretty good - pretty good for an old guy - and it is my growing conviction, churning own that base path, that here's where I'm headed:
Safe At Home
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comment!