It’s one of the things I don’t mind about getting older.  As we age into our 60s, 70s, 80s, and beyond, we gain a perspective on our lives that is simply not possible in our younger years.  We haven’t lived long enough.

A retired physician shared with me several years ago, “Harold, the older I get, the more I realize things I used to think were very important are not so important.”  There is some real wisdom in that statement.  And it requires perspective.

A word about touching lives from Dr Harold D. Duncan.

I have a challenge for you, and I hope you will accept it.

I challenge you to spend a few minutes on the following exercise:

Make a list of all the people you can think of who have touched your life in a very significant way.  Some obvious examples:

• Parents and Siblings
• Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins
• Neighbors, School Teachers, Coaches
• Classmates, Best Friends, Co-Workers
• Spouses, Children, Grandchildren

This is just the tip of a massive iceberg.  As you can see, the list is almost endless.  So many people have helped us become the people we are today!

Also, not everyone has touched our lives in a positive way.  Some of the most important life lessons I have learned have also been some of the most painful!

For example, I believe that some of the people who have touched my life negatively have also helped me work on setting and maintaining healthy personal boundaries!

If you want to expand this exercise, beside each name, list the ways in which each person has touched you.  Additionally, how cool would it be to contact those on your list who are still living and thank them?  “Way Cool!”

(By the way, you can also write a note of gratitude to those who are no longer living.)

In my next “Word” I will share “part deux” of this challenge.

Thank you for reading!