I am approaching the "half century" mark in a few years time. Long ago I had made up my mind that I would be free of a lot of things by the time my half century clock struck noon.
I had decided that I did not want to have to be educating children at the age of 50, that I had to have a modicum of respectability surrounding my persona, that I had also to have accumulated a few assets and that I also had to have invested in a pension plan to give me some solace in my old age so that I could play my golf to my hearts content while in retirement, and I had to have a written a will so that my few earthly possesions will be shared out as per my wishes and not as per the dictates of others and also stating how I wished my remains to be interred!!
I had also decided that I would like to live to a ripe old age of at least 100.............. and be a burden to my children (and grandchildren) since I had decided that I would take appropriate steps to shield my self from the life threatening conditions that seem to afflict men in their prime ages of between 35 to 50 and leave many of them on one form or another of medical treatment, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, dialysis etc for the rest of their lives.
I had also decided that I would wish away stress from my life since I have no control of anyone's comments, thoughts, idiosyncracies and biases about me and therefore should attach little if any attention to their words, thoughts or actions.
I had decided that my brand name was unique to me and that I would uphold the very principles that were ingrained in me by my parents while still young of honest work for an honest wage, empathy to my friends, colleagues, acquaintances and strangers alike......of course within reason.
The jury is out but by my own measurement, I have accomplished many of my life goals. I have a successful professional career and I know that I have contributed greatly to the sucesses of the organisation and my colleagues where I work, my daughters are both in university with my first born about to finish her 4th year while her sister is just starting of her university life. I believe that I am a well respected member of society since I have many friends and acquaintances within my network and I am a member of two prestigious private members clubs one of which I sit on the Board of Directors. I have also taken up a healthy lifestyle and in the process lost 6 kilos in the past year and avoid or reduced on the 4 deadly stress CATS indicators - Caffeine, Alcohol, Tobacco & Sugar!! Taking up this blog writing has also been one of the contributors to alleviating stress.
I recently went for one of those tests prescribed for men over 40 years old, the PSA Test, that is supposed to detect early signs of prostrate cancer a silent killer of men today. The laboratory staff at the hospital where I went to have the test done could not believe it when I told them that it had not been recommended by any doctor but I had taken it upon my self to do the test. The results were negative and though the fee is quite steep, it was money well spent for the piece of mind it bought. The lab staff were all praises and suggested that this should be an annual routine.
As one morphs from one day to the next, the clock is ticking and inexorably age is gaining and one must take steps to chart their own destiny by taking up a sport, going for your own medical tests, eating right and avoiding stress.
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