Next month I will be 45 and that age has made me realize what I consider to be “facts of life”. No, not the old tv series, but the real thing. First of all, age is relative, and you are only as young or old as you feel. I know some pretty young people who are quite wise for their age. You three know who you are. One person, I used to think was in that category, kept complaining about his age, and was younger then I. Sometimes the old can learn from the young, but often it is the other way around. The young person has to have that “teachable spirit”. The Japanese have discovered a great many things and we often “arrogant” Americans need to learn more respect. Just because we live in America doesn’t mean we have ALL the answers. That is not saying, that I don’t love my country or that I want to leave it! Every “OPEN-MINDED” person should strive to make there life, country, surroundings, etc. better. I am not saying that any of us are better then ANYONE else! The reverse is also true in my book. However, are we so high-minded as to believe that we can learn nothing from other cultures? Just as it is arrogant to think that, so it is to think that we are alone in the universe. Weather you believe in a god or not, we are still not alone.

     Newton’s 3rd LAW of entropy states: energy is never created or destroyed, it simply changes form. If you believe in science at all, this is a provable LAW not simply a theory that requires faith to believe it. Think about that statement for a while, imagine the religious ramifications for a moment. See what I mean? I’m not an expert in science or religion, but does one truly need to be an expert in anything to believe a certain way? Obviously, the answer is no.

    Mozart was said to hear melodies in his head and he just had to write them down. Being a small-time music composer myself, this sounds almost impossible. I hear melodies, with no harmony in my head, but harmony, that is the hard one. I wonder if he heard harmony also? Even for a genius, I doubt it was always easy. Beethoven was said to struggle with the music and had to re-write a lot of things. Sometimes I think that true heroes (even geniuses) are those who don’t give up and keep trying no matter what the odds.

     Life is what you make it. No more, no less. Maybe it naive of me, but I have found no bad situation that I could not think, or act, my way out of. I have seen all of the Saw movies, and while the bloody part is gross a friend pointed out that with most of the “traps”  have an escape. However, bloody or painful that may be. I would rather avoid the situation entirely then to be maimed for life.

     Employment for me has always been a thing of dread. I have had so many, many, jobs but found little satisfaction in any of them. I suppose I really need to work on that. Wealth can be divided up in terms of monetary (money and possessions), life (things you find are valuable to you, but have little or no market value), and finally spiritual (not necessarily religion). Of the first in that list, I have little. Of the second, I have quite a lot. Of the third, I have a great deal. Am I a success? You decide ? I think I am but not in the usual ways of determining that word.

     One can love on a very wide scale. The way a mother or father loves a sibling. The way one sibling loves another. The way one might love his/her friends, lovers, spouses, etc. As some might say, “it’s all good”. As long as love is involved hat is true. But then, what is love? That’s as hard to answer as the meaning of life. Is part of love that feeling of loneliness one feels when they are not around them. Some philosophies state that we should get rid of ALL attachments before we die, lest we wonder the world trapped as ghost. I’m not sure if that is even possible or advisable. It seems extreme, but I see the logic in it. Ghosts? that’s another ball of wax.

     I hope all who read this is capable of truly appreciating art. That means whatever still “floats your boat”. Just like music, some like this and dislike that. As most of us, (I think) since I can’t really know must of us, realize the things in life that they will miss (assuming they are able to miss) we be the beauty of nature, music, art, friendship, touch, romance, love, things like that. Wouldn’t be better to focus on those things now while you are alive? Consider the possibility, or just hypothetically imagine……what if you didn’t have a chance to do those things after you died? Scary…..? yet…… possible.