Things!

Things.....

Life, once lived as if there were no rules......NOPE!

I have never felt that. I have had a really intense relationship with the potential/possibility for death most of my adult life.

I knew at a fairly young age (perhaps my 20s?) that the males of my family have a strange habit of dying at a quite young age.......

Cases in point: Uncle Ona (Father's brother) died in his early 40s of a heart attack in bed....My three Uncles from my Mother's side died at fairly young ages.....46 to 62......My Grandfather on my Dad's side died of a heart attack as did my Grandmother, his wife....one lived to 52, one til 62....

My Dad had his first heart attack at 47......lived for 11 more years with three more heart attacks til he died at 58. My Mom had REALLY bad plaque in her arteries.....had three carotid surgeries (one a re-do) and died after a last-ditch attempt at giving her three-five more years.....

My Sister (three years younger) died at 47 of a massive heart attack.

My Brother (9 plus years younger) has had heart attack...and bypass surgery....

My Sister 1 year younger has had carotid surgery, two bypass surgeries, and is ready for another carotid surgery which she refuses.....

I am the eldest!

My family is NOT healthy....I have been to this point......I remember, however, really seriously wondering if I'd make it to the year 2000...... That seems stupid now, but in 1990 it was a goal......I'd be 57 (1 year younger than my Father at his death), and hoped for life to then.

Now at 64, this is long gone, but the lung lump (?) is a question....

Makes one wonder......Why am I fairly immune to the things most of my family have?

Who knows? I have speculated.....different genes (different Father????)....That is a bad speculation, but related to the fact my own Aunt (Mother's Sister) had a kid at a young age and gave him to Older Brother as HIS kid.....

This is not a proper speculation as my Mom and Dad married 12 months (minus 11 days) before my birth! They married January 12th....1942..... I was born January 1st, 1943.

All of it matters not, of course, as the only thing that does matter is WHERE am I?....How long will I live.....

How long do my Duchess and I have together??? How long will we get to watch our Grandkids grow, develop, marry, etc.?

That is what matters......

We'll begin the process of living TODAY...and continue thru the weekend as we leave Tampa tomorrow in our motorhome for Cortez (Bradenton, FL) for the holiday weekend!

Duke