"Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind
wonderfully."------Samuel Johnson
The reason for that "concentration", of course, is impending death. And, impending death is something those of us who have already surpassed our "three score and ten" are usually willing to acknowledge. Both the healthy and the frail must acknowledge that we have significantly less future than we've had past.
And, it seems to me I am probably not alone in "concentrating" my mind; winnowing through my thoughts and concerns and discarding the "chaff".
Some of what is left is comforting and may even bring a smile, but some of it is painful to consider. There were certainly more than a few times in my life when I was "less" than I should have been; less kind---less brave---less generous---less tolerant---and, most hurtful, less loving than I "should have---could have" been.
And, I am left with the knowledge that there are no "re-takes" possible for those sad scenes. All I can do at this point is try to be a better man during whatever days I have left and hope I am fondly remembered when I die.
Introspection may be a flaw, I suppose. Sorry if some find the above maudlin nonsense.
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