A pet peeve lately

Oh, in the old days I had so many pet peeves, I practically had a zoo, a menagerie. So many little things to tick me off. I have mellowed though and my list is shorter. I rant less often. However, I caught myself ranting lately about this inane little quote that I see tagged on those humorous emails. You know, the emails that have all these cute life lessons in them or the fun reason why chocolate should be considered a health food or why beer is good for you (I think it is, isn't it??), etc. Then at the end of the email is that quote about how I rather end up sliding into my grave, partied out versus old and well preserved. I am summarizing the quote since I don't have it memorized and I typically delete it after it illicits a wry little smile from me.

Why does it bother me? I guess it is a by-product of the new job. I see lots of people who lived their life vicariously and end up in the ICU regretting it or so comatose they can't regret it and in the worse of cases, they lived their lives so wild and crazy they are sick beyond recovery and no one is left in their life to have any regrets for them (except for me, I suppose). I read that quote and I think the person dying in this hospital bed obviously felt the same way at some point. That they were living life to the fullest when in fact they were just killing themselves with overindulgences. I see them there in the bed and I am thinking they are full of regret, pain and loneliness and not one of them saw their lives becoming so drastically altered, at 41 or 49 and sometimes a very young 21 or 25 year old.

I think the majority of people wished they could live to that quote, but only a few really do, fortunately. I'd like to live according to a more moderate life philosophy. One, where you do things in moderation, not excess or deprivation. Life is meant to be enjoyed, but you should also cherish it. It is a fragile thing. Truly fragile.

Basically, far too many times we all take our health for granted. How many times has someone asked if you could have anything in the world? Did you say, "Good health and the ability to die in my sleep at the ripe old happy age of 100."? Nah, most of you would say, "I'd like to win the lotto" or "Write the Great American Novel". However, it would be hard to do or enjoy either without some decent health to get you there.

Yeah, I suppose I am in a dark ranting mood today. Best I should shuffle off to go listen to my old "Smiths" cassette tapes....if I could only find a tape player.......