As you dig into this I’m assuming you have the background from part 1. If not, take a moment and read part 1 before jumping into here. *Pauses*

Welcome back. As you know now, I have some decisions to make that are pretty big, hence this not being published before the new year. For some it would be okay to give into the doubters and critics, to bow down to all the aches and pains running through my body. 

But those who know me, especially those who know me well, know I can’t do that. Those that bet against me just make me more determined to prove them wrong. It was said at 10 that by 25 I would have a major heart attack. I proved them wrong. I wasn’t expected to even reach 40. I proved them wrong again. 

The world I knew as a kid has been turned upside down as well, some for the better and some not so much. I try to give each new change a fair chance as I fight against turing into the old man that yells at everyone to stay off his lawn. I am even embracing new tablet technology as I am writing this. 

Granted, I was skeptical of it at first since it is such a small screen, but it has made it easier to write on the go. It just means that my next laptop will have to be more powerful to last longer since all it will get used for are some of the games only available on PC. If you had suggested it to me even five years ago I would have told you there was no way that would happen. 

It just means I will be writing more going forward than before. I will still be just as loud, but there will also be fiction to go with it and another attempt at writing humor. 

Maybe in another time or place I would put down my pen, but in a world where facts are questioned I can’t. I can, however, have fun with it while trying to inspire others. I know I will stumble and fall at times, but what matters is I keep getting back up. 

I know I might never have a big book deal, but my ideas will live on and might even appear in the real world someday long after I have left this life behind. That time is still a long way off, though, if I have anything to say about it. 

Yes, 40 is a crossroads; there is no mistaking it. But other than a bit physically, I don’t feel old. I also doubt I will ever feel old until I stop embracing change in general. That doesn’t mean I am suddenly going to start making videos on TikTok or YouTube. Although, if I were going to start making videos YouTube would probably be the more likely candidate for me to be showing them. 

So, for now, don’t expect me to let up the pressure. Just expect for me to work on being wittier about it. Questions and comments will still be welcome, but I will not be feeding the trolls anytime soon. I will leave you with this: expect insights into millennials and farewells to those lost last year coming up in the next couple of columns. 

*Tips his hat as slow jazz plays in the street and walks out the door*

Image courtesy of stevepb at Pixabay