WHAT’S THE REAL GOOD LIFE

Tony Bennett sings a bittersweet song about it. Kenney Chesney learns about it at a bar after a fight with his wife.

The good life. That’s what this column is supposed to be about. But what is it exactly. How do you get it, maintain it. Well, here are a few ideas…

Coming home after school and seeing mom there with a glass of chocolate milk and some Oreos or Chips Ahoy cookies.

Hanging with your friends on a Saturday morning deciding for hours what you’re going to do that day.

Watching your first girl friend walk down her steps all dressed up and knowing that she did all that just for you.

Your first car. Maybe it was just a load, but it was all yours.

Getting that letter from college letting you know you made it!

Realizing that this girl was the love of your life. Spending your time with her. Missing her when you don’t. And, seeing her face blush when she says, “Yes. I’ll marry you.“

Decorating your first home. Maybe it wasn’t much, but it was all yours.

Seeing your first baby born and trying not to cry, or for that matter, pass out. Remember that feeling when you heard that first cry?

Your child’s dance recital, first day of school, birthdays and that very first Christmas that this baby knew Santa came.

But life plays tricks. We develop. We age. We mature. The good life is different now…

Maybe a glass of wine with a friend and some good conversation, reminiscences mostly.

A visit from the grand kids. Man is that hectic and tiring. But you wouldn’t trade it for the world. Maybe even the first time you said to yourself, “Man. I wish I had grandkids first!”

A soft chair on the porch maybe with a book or a newspaper. Relaxing on a sunny day and enjoying just watching the world go by.

Dreaming of the past. What was and knowing that what could have been was only a dream that everybody has, but very few achieve.

A life well lived, judged not by how many you have loved, but by how many have loved you. That’s contentment. That’s happiness.

You know, the foods, the wines, all the material things are good and they all add up, as does the sorrow and the pain. But all in all, when the good outweighs the bad, you have it. That’s the good life, man. The memories. Your legacy. Your contribution to mankind.

We are approaching a new year. Tomorrow, in fact. Live it up. We only get one shot so make it your best! It may not be much. But it is all yours.

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