As we close in on the end of another decade I am reminded. I enjoy checking my " memories on Facebook " every day. You know that little thing you can click on and it shows your posts for last year and all the way back. Mine goes to nine years, guess that's how long I have been using Facebook. But whatever the case there is I am reminded of things that have changed and things that have remained the same. This morning it showed that I had made a friend with a certain individual. A new friend. Strangely I think of this person as a new friend but have apparently known this individual for at least nine years! That's when I thought, that's almost a decade.
Then I begin to think about decades. Was a time when a decade was my whole life, yes, I remember that. I remember entering my second decade as well. I retired from the Navy in my fourth. I worked several jobs in my fifth and retired once again in my sixth! If I really think about it a lot has happened in those six decades but they don't seem very long at all. My old friends are still around and surprisingly new friends have been around a while too! So I wonder how many years are new, how many before you get old? Friends that is, I'm getting old but not quite there yet but have some friends that are. Will that happen in my next decade? I'm thinking that will depend upon my health and my attitude. Time sometimes appears as a revolving door, sometimes new, sometimes old and sometimes somewhere in between.
When do we stop counting the years? What I'm thinking about is when do we start using decades, units of ten, instead of individual units? For me I think that began in my fifth decade. That is when I took notice. Now my wife says I had an issue with turning forty but I wasn't aware of that. Yeah so I got a different haircut, a different style, so what. Turning forty was no big deal. And now in my sixth decade I have to give it some thought when asked my age. Is it 65 or 66? Well it's sixty something. Years aren't that important any more. When I was a kid pennies made a difference, now it's dollars. Units of ten. So I'm counting decades. Next thing is centuries! We are all fortunate if we see one of those! My Mom is closing in on that milestone, having reached 90 this past September. A new decade for her has begun. I've noticed she has begun to count the years again, I expect when and if I reach ninety I'll be doing the same. One hundred is a large number. I was just seven when I entered the second grade but still have a remembrance of that experience. Mrs. Edwards was the teacher. Around the top of the classroom wall, like a border, where the numbers one through a hundred. I remember being told before the year was out I would be required to write every one of them in the proper order! Seemed like a daunting task at the time. And thinking back on that I am encouraged, I'm only a little past half way.
Then I begin to think about decades. Was a time when a decade was my whole life, yes, I remember that. I remember entering my second decade as well. I retired from the Navy in my fourth. I worked several jobs in my fifth and retired once again in my sixth! If I really think about it a lot has happened in those six decades but they don't seem very long at all. My old friends are still around and surprisingly new friends have been around a while too! So I wonder how many years are new, how many before you get old? Friends that is, I'm getting old but not quite there yet but have some friends that are. Will that happen in my next decade? I'm thinking that will depend upon my health and my attitude. Time sometimes appears as a revolving door, sometimes new, sometimes old and sometimes somewhere in between.
When do we stop counting the years? What I'm thinking about is when do we start using decades, units of ten, instead of individual units? For me I think that began in my fifth decade. That is when I took notice. Now my wife says I had an issue with turning forty but I wasn't aware of that. Yeah so I got a different haircut, a different style, so what. Turning forty was no big deal. And now in my sixth decade I have to give it some thought when asked my age. Is it 65 or 66? Well it's sixty something. Years aren't that important any more. When I was a kid pennies made a difference, now it's dollars. Units of ten. So I'm counting decades. Next thing is centuries! We are all fortunate if we see one of those! My Mom is closing in on that milestone, having reached 90 this past September. A new decade for her has begun. I've noticed she has begun to count the years again, I expect when and if I reach ninety I'll be doing the same. One hundred is a large number. I was just seven when I entered the second grade but still have a remembrance of that experience. Mrs. Edwards was the teacher. Around the top of the classroom wall, like a border, where the numbers one through a hundred. I remember being told before the year was out I would be required to write every one of them in the proper order! Seemed like a daunting task at the time. And thinking back on that I am encouraged, I'm only a little past half way.
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