NRHEG Star Eagle

137 Years Serving the New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva Area
Newspaper of Record for NRHEG School District
Newspaper of Record for Waseca County, MN
PO Box 248 • New Richland, MN 56072

507-463-8112
email: steagle@hickorytech.net
Published every Thursday
Yearly Subscription: Waseca, Steele, and Freeborn counties: $52
Minnesota $57 • Out of state $64

I heard on the radio recently that a study showed the two ages people are most happy are 23 and 69. I understand the 23: starting a career, establishing roots, maybe getting married. These are all things that would add to a person’s happiness. I can only imagine that at 69 you are retired and can do what you want when you want.

Over time, the idea of being “over the hill” has changed. Whereas it used to be 40, it’s now often contemplated at 50 or even 60. Those are more likely to be dates when the black balloons and cake show up.

I’d like to postulate that you are over the hill at 25. Bear with me here.

Think about a roller coaster. It seems to take forever to get to the top of the big first hill. Remember your early years. Those years dragged on, getting from your birthday to Christmas to summer vacation. That was part of the long climb.

Once you reach the top of that hill, the ride becomes a non-stop rush of excitement. You barely have time to think about what’s coming next. That would be life after 25. Every year seems to go by faster and faster. That’s not always a bad thing, but sometimes we miss the details on the roller coaster of life.

I’m turning 40 soon. I don’t try to hide that, and that number doesn’t bother me in the least. Forty is the new 30, and you’re only as old as you feel. My body tells me I’m definitely in my 30s and can’t do everything I used to in my younger days, but I can’t foresee getting out of bed on my birthday and suddenly feeling old and decrepit. After all, I’ve already long since gone over the hill of life.

At a recent check-up, my nurse told me that I looked pretty good for someone nearly 40. I figured that was pretty good to know. I must; in fact, I was carded while in Florida! It’s obvious to anyone who knows me that I had a baseball cap on, covering up all the hair that is much lighter than my normal dark covering.

Don’t let age get the better of you! It’s all mind over matter, and if you keep living your life to the fullest, you get the most out of the ride!

Speaking of semi-important events, this week marks the beginning of my second year at the helm of this column. When I started, I honestly wondered if I would be able to come up with enough topics to even write for a year. As it stands, I’ve still got quite a list to work from in coming weeks, and the world has had a way of providing fodder for waffle flipping.

I feel very humbled every time I meet someone new who tells me he or she enjoys my column. I’ve met people at parties, at school events, and even in the receiving line at a funeral home who have introduced themselves and had encouraging words about my writing. Thank you to all of you who read my diatribes, and I enjoy the commentary I hear.

It’s also nice to have a number of former stars read this online from wherever they roam. I enjoy the Facebook interactions and the face-to-face ones when they are back in town.

Not everyone enjoys this space; I know I’ve tweaked some folks who don’t agree with some of my ideas, and that’s fine. I always welcome a good dialogue with people willing to give their name.

Thanks again for reading, and I’ll do my best to keep flipping as I hop back on the roller coaster ride of life and plunge along the track, picking up speed all the time.

Word of the Week: This week’s word is postulate, which means to assume something is true, as in, “The lawyer postulated that his client was innocent at the beginning of the trial.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!


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