With time raging along, a warning to get serious about health

Another year ...

If there is one thing certain about getting older, it's that nothing is certain. I turned 65 earlier this month, an age about which there is really no doubt. People can tell you 60 is the new 40 or other such platitudes, but 65 is one of those numbers that doesn't bend.

When you're 65, you're eligible for Medicare and just about every senior discount there is. Of course along with that, you are definitely a Senior Citizen.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

It's the stuff that comes along with it that kills you. Stephen King's short story, "My Pretty Pony," has a grandfather on his deathbed telling his grandson about the flexibility of time.

When you're 7 years old, a summer can last forever. When you're 70, years seem to pass almost overnight.

Time goes from slowly meandering river when you're young to raging rapids when you're older.

This past weekend Nicole and I went to Jamaica for the second time in 13 months. Last year our granddaughter Madison was 5 and our grandson Lexington was 2.

Maddie, 6, with her cousin

This time they were 6 and 3, which if you think about it makes the last year 17 percent of Maddie's life and 33 percent of Lex's. Of course there is now a third one. Albanie Yvonne is two months old today, so the next year will be incredibly long for her -- nearly 100 percent of her life to date.

And from today till Dec. 31, 2015, God willing and the creek don't rise, will be roughly 1 1/2 percent of my life.

The days they pass ...

Of course, some days pass slower than others. Days of difficulties, of problems that seem insoluble, seem to last longer, and with Nicole diagnosed with truly serious medical problems, 2015 could turn out to be a very long year.

Lex, 3, and Albanie

I suppose it all comes down to attitude. The old "when life hands you lemons, make lemonade" saying certainly applies here. My only goal now is to make the most of whatever time we have left together. Nicole has been having physical problems in addition to her serious one, and starting tomorrow, she and I will both start a serious regimen of diet and exercise. We'll eat healthy and do some sort of workout every day.

I'm hopeful it means 2015 can be a better year for both of us.

It's sort of a last chance.

Time doesn't go on forever, at least not for individuals.