There comes a time in
our life when to use a golf analogy, we realize we are closer to the eighteenth
hole than we are the first hole. We 'suddenly' find ourselves on the back nine.
We may realize how many shots we have thrown away for one reason or another. We
may wonder how much of a difference we have made in the world, or if we have
made any difference at all. It is easy to become melancholy about the whole
matter. So much of our life has passed, so much time wasted here and there. I
do not believe anyone feels differently about it. We would like to have that time
back but that of course is impossible. This is the time when we need to realize
that today is the oldest we are in our life and that today is also the youngest
we will ever be now. Do not settle into the long, slow fade. All things age
under Dao. All that lives will die. Until that time when we set out on our next
journey, make each day count instead of counting the days. There is still so
much we can do even if we do nothing. Do not let the confines of a muddled
society tell you any different or make you feel unworthy. Keep playing. Go
birdie, birdie, birdie on the last holes of your life and then head for the
clubhouse with dignity.
