This is the proverbial "ice breaker" to get a discussion going.  If I fail, I apologize for the attempt and will retreat into my narcissistic shell and return to gazing at my naval.

Some of you will remember the Crosby, Stills & Nash song "Wasted on the Way"  One of the opening lines is "I am older now, and have more than what I wanted, but I wished that I had started long before I did..."

Got any thoughts on that line?  As we approach 60 and "retirement" (whatever that means?) what can we fill in as to the "wished that I had started long before I did"?

I have some, but, since I started this I'll let YOU go first.

well,  I can remember stepping on a square of the cement sidewalk , while walking to school and wishing that I was older , first it was 13 then 16 (driving ) then 18 ( freedom ) then wow 21 came around and still did not put it all together  then the big 40 came  and had to stop and look back and say  " where has all the time gone "  still on with life and now  that I am nearing 60 and I look at my partner of 40 years ,     " I wish that I had looked at life the  way I do now "  they say life is wasted on the young and then when you finally realize what life is really about  you are too tired  to worry about it.  When you think you have the rest of your life at each of these milestone and you think to yourself , I still have this many years left and it hits you in the face  I have lived more than half of my life.   I would not have done anything any differently,   I just would have not said no...... so much .  Think about it. !!!!!!

There have been 183 hits on this post!  No responses?  Don't leave me out here to bleed alone, guys.  Thanks for your post, Deborah!

One of my recent endeavors is to write a book, and I wish that I would have started this a long time ago.  I guess our seven children consumed the time and energy I would have invested, but my children certainly have not been nor are 'wasted time', rather, invested time.  Looking back to our Q.V. days there is certainly a lot I wasted and would have done differently if I had been a Christian.  I have many very good memories of Young Life and the influence that ministry had on me at that time, though not outwardly obvious.  Many of you remember that my father died when I was 16 and in 10th grade.  The depression and feelings of hopelessness and fear drove me to many acts of self-destruction.  Those were wasted years indeed.

Makes me wonder why we are so careful about our monetary investments and so careless about our time investment.  I do not want to live long as much as live well!

Hi Tom (and anybody else that stumbles in here as I just did!)

I must have been blessed with a very selective memory. When I close my eyes, I see that my life has been filled with so many more happy and pleasant occasions than dissappointments, regrets or sadness. Even though I know we all have had tough times... I just choose to remember the good times and look forward to my next adventure - every opportunity to enjoy life as our days pass evermore swiftly by.

Like fishing with a good friend!

Cork