Preparing for Life after Mid-Life

A dear and extremely kind friend read my first blog post and commented, “Just for the record, you are still in midlife.... I don't believe the ‘after’ part.”

She is, of course, absolutely correct. In spite of the fact that the Catfish Place in St. Cloud, Florida gives me a seniors’ discount merely for admitting I’m over 50 it’s a long way from now to Social Security—assuming that there will be any Social Security when I apply.

That being said, “three score and ten” is the ancient definition of a good lifespan (Psalm 90:10). And while we all hope to live beyond 70, 58 is on the downside. If I’m not “after mid-life” yet, it’s not that far away and I’m convinced that the time to prepare for being old is while you’re still young.

It always disturbed me when my 20-something employees opted out of retirement programs. As every financial planner will tell you, the time to start saving for retirement is as early as possible.

In the same way, the time to prepare for a good life after mid-life is as early as possible. And that preparation includes more than getting yourself in order financially. I know too many seniors who have plenty of money, but are utterly miserable. We need to prepare spiritually, emotionally, and relationally.

For example, while worrying is never a good thing, at age 30 you can get away with the stress that comes with being a worrier. At age 70, the stress of worrying will begin to impact your health and, over time, will kill you. Start releasing the worry now before you’re old.

Another example: you can get away with having lots of acquaintances, but no true friends at age 40. Just keep busy enough and you won’t notice—at least you won’t notice too often. But at age 65 if you don’t have friends, the loneliness will begin to eat you alive. Now is the time to develop lasting friendships with people of all ages who will then walk with you as you age.

One more example: while few people think about and prepare for death at 25, by mid-life we need to have faced our mortality and come to terms with death as it gets nearer and nearer.

So I’m not pretending I’m old. If anything, I’m still pretending I’m young. I can still ski bumps at 8,000 feet and I intend to keep doing it as long as possible. But the day will come when walking 8,000 feet on a level bump-free sidewalk at sea level will be a challenge and finally will be impossible. That day will come and I can’t stop it, but I can prepare for it and all the days leading up to it.

Abraham Lincoln said, “And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.” Whether we live three score and ten or far beyond that, we can begin stockpiling the life in those years today.