Life Moves Fast...Then It Stops

I've been reminded of the brevity of life, once again, having just attended the funeral of a young man, and now preparing for the funeral for my lifelong mentor in a couple of weeks.

As hard as it is to lose my mentor Keith, it doesn't seem like a tragedy when an 84 year old passes away, compared to the loss of a wonderful, 24 year-old young man to a car accident. But both losses remind me again, that no matter how long we have on this earth, eventually life ends, one way or another.

This has been reinforced by the fact that I turn 60 in a few months, which means considering a number of things like when to collect CPP, RRSP drawdowns, RRIFs, passive income, wills and other estate planning tasks...the list goes on and on.

Let me tell you, if you start researching these things, 50 financial advisors will give you 50 different answers. (I'm the type of guy who spent over a year researching which TV to buy, so I can tell you I've been looking at this for some time now)

There are other questions to consider too, like what do I want retirement to look like? But truthfully, I don't plan to retire; I'm simply trying to plan how best to be productive and how I can best spend my time. However long that ends up being.

Just this week, I was on a site that helps you determine your life expectancy. I answered a bunch of questions and it predicted that I would live to be 90.

I'm not sure I even want to live to 90, but there you go; and considering only 2 males in my family have lived past 54 (me and my uncle Don, who is still around) 90 seems overly optimistic.

But it's true that the older I get, the more aware I become that my days are numbered. If I was to live to 90, then I have half the years that I have already lived...which at this point, doesn't seem very long.

Let's say I get 20 more years? When I think of the first 20 years of my life, it seems like a very long time...back then the time seemed to pass so slowly. But 20 years now? It doesn't seem like much time at all. Maybe I don't even have that long? Some say, because I ride a motorcycle, that I am risking time I might otherwise have.

I should live a long time if drivers stay off their phones and off my rear tire. Sorry, I got sidetracked there.

All the more reason to consider Psalm 90:12...

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."

In other words, we should ask God to help us understand the limited nature of our lives and to use that awareness to live wisely and with purpose.

To live wisely and with purpose. That's what I want whatever days I have, to be characterized by. How about you?

The only way to answer the question, "When should I collect CPP?" btw, is if I knew the exact time I was going to die. Otherwise it is only an educated guess.

So do your homework, consider your life and how you want to live it, and do it with purpose. None of that sounds like retiring does it?

Side note: if you do plan to retire, or recently have, I advise you to focus more on what you are retiring to, rather than what you're retiring from. More about that another day.

Funerals are opportunities to celebrate a life, and one another as we hold each other up, in times of grief and sorrow. But I'm afraid that not long after the reception, many of us go back to being busy and living frantic lives without direction.

My mentor knew when he was a teenager that he was called to be a pastor; and he was for over 50 years. He never doubted and never wavered from it. And so many benefitted from his faithful commitment to living out his calling; no one more than me.

I can only hope that I'm following in his footsteps.

I wonder if we knew the exact day that we would pass from this life to the next, if we would live any differently. Maybe.

But we really don't know. So let's decide to make every day count.

If you're struggling with knowing why you're here, and need help clarifying your calling and purpose, schedule a call...let's talk.

Until next time - Dan