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<v Speaker 1>Time to give you reflections from an almost old man.

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<v Speaker 1>On Tuesday, I celebrated my forty ninth birthday. Yes, it's

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<v Speaker 1>just another day for me. You know, birthdays stop being

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<v Speaker 1>truly important event for me a long time ago. But

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<v Speaker 1>I have great friends and family that still won't to

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<v Speaker 1>celebrate it, whether it's to a text message or a

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<v Speaker 1>phone call, or take me out to dinner at Buffalo

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<v Speaker 1>Wild Wings and have the staff come out and try

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<v Speaker 1>to embarrass me by singing Happy Birthday, because everybody knows

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<v Speaker 1>that that's not my thing. But it's part of the fun.

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<v Speaker 1>But part of the reason why I say reflections from

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<v Speaker 1>an almost old man is I remember distinctly as a kid. Now.

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<v Speaker 1>As a kid, you realistically think that somebody twenty five

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<v Speaker 1>or older is old, but you really put a number

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<v Speaker 1>in your head. And the number for me and my

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<v Speaker 1>friends when we were growing up was always, well, we're

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<v Speaker 1>not going to be old men till we turn fifty.

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<v Speaker 1>Here I am at forty nine. I'm one year away

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<v Speaker 1>from fifty. Next year, God willing, I'll hit that milestone.

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<v Speaker 1>So yes, these are reflections from an almost old man,

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<v Speaker 1>because I'm not there yet. I'm not quite old, so

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<v Speaker 1>maybe I don't have the wisdom yet to share with

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<v Speaker 1>you this morning because I'm an almost old man. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>not an old man yet. They say that you're only

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<v Speaker 1>as old as you feel well. Some mornings, I don't

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<v Speaker 1>know that I like that saying, because some morning somebody

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<v Speaker 1>feel like an eighty year old man. Other mornings I

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<v Speaker 1>feel fresh and alive, like maybe I'm a young eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>year old again. And then I get up and realize

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not when things crank and hurt. But young people,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm going to talk to you for a second. I'm

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<v Speaker 1>going to talk to you and maybe you'll listen to

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<v Speaker 1>this almost old man. For those of you graduating from

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<v Speaker 1>high school entering college for the first time, you may

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<v Speaker 1>have been grown up. You may have grown up in

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<v Speaker 1>a Christian conservative household. Everything that you believe is about

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<v Speaker 1>to be challenged when you walk into that college. You're

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<v Speaker 1>going to have professors. They're going to tell you that

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<v Speaker 1>every value that your parents instilled in you is one

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<v Speaker 1>hundred percent incorrect. You're going to have professors. They're going

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<v Speaker 1>to tell you that everything that you believe about politics

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<v Speaker 1>is wrong. It's own you to stand up to that

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<v Speaker 1>and to not fall for these egg headed professors nonsense.

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<v Speaker 1>A lot of kids do because again they see that

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<v Speaker 1>title of doctor in front of their name, and they

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<v Speaker 1>instantly think to themselves, well, that's doctor Jones. So doctor Jones, absolutely,

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<v Speaker 1>it's somebody that I should be able to trust. He's

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<v Speaker 1>somebody that is clearly smarter than my dad, definitely smarter

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<v Speaker 1>than my mom. They don't have doctor in front of

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<v Speaker 1>their names. So everything they told me must be wrong.

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<v Speaker 1>It's not stick with the values that have been instilled

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<v Speaker 1>in you because your parents knew what they were doing.

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<v Speaker 1>Question everything means question the professor as well. I'm okay

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<v Speaker 1>with question everything. I'm okay with you doing your own

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<v Speaker 1>research and coming up with your own values and opinions.

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<v Speaker 1>Fine with that, but make them your own. Don't allow

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<v Speaker 1>them to be the professors. And don't come home and

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<v Speaker 1>tell your parents that they were wrong about everything because

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<v Speaker 1>doctor Jones told you that they were. And that's just

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<v Speaker 1>not the way you should be doing anything. Other advice

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<v Speaker 1>I have for you is, if you are of faith,

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<v Speaker 1>hold on to your faith, stick with it. If you

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<v Speaker 1>have not yet found your faith, you need to, and

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<v Speaker 1>you need to find it fast. Ask to come into

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<v Speaker 1>your heart to forgive you of your sins. Tomorrow is

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<v Speaker 1>not promised. There's a reason why I said than in

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<v Speaker 1>a year's time, I'll celebrate my fiftieth God willing, because

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<v Speaker 1>it's tomorrow is not promised. Tonight. You could lay down,

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<v Speaker 1>go to sleep and never wake up again. You can

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<v Speaker 1>leave your house this morning on your way to school

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<v Speaker 1>and never make it there. Life is a gift. It's precious.

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<v Speaker 1>We don't understand that as we're going through it. We

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<v Speaker 1>focus too much on the hardships. I'm guilty of that too.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm not being judgmental of you. I'm probably one of

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<v Speaker 1>the world's worse at focusing on the hardships, the fact

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<v Speaker 1>that I've made it this long in my age without

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<v Speaker 1>ever getting married, without having children. But our hardships are

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<v Speaker 1>not what we need to be focused on. We need

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<v Speaker 1>to focus on the fact that this is a gift.

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<v Speaker 1>This is a gift from God. He gave us this life.

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<v Speaker 1>He gave us these opportunities to experience life, to find friendships,

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<v Speaker 1>to love and lose love, to feel hurt sometimes and

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes yes, hurt is good for you may not believe

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<v Speaker 1>it at the time, but it can be. If I

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<v Speaker 1>have any more advice for you young people from this

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<v Speaker 1>almost old man it would be don't rush into relationships

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<v Speaker 1>if you believe that the person you're at this high

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<v Speaker 1>school sweetheart or this freshman girlfriend. I'm not saying that

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<v Speaker 1>they won't be the love of your life, because they

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<v Speaker 1>might be. But if they're not, that's okay too. If

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<v Speaker 1>you grow up and you end up never marrying, like

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<v Speaker 1>not me, that's fine as well. Live your life, experience things. Travel.

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<v Speaker 1>If you've always wanted to go to a Cubs game

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<v Speaker 1>and see Wrigley Field, do it. If you've always wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to go to a Red Sox game, see Fenway Park,

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<v Speaker 1>do it. If you want to go to lambeau Field,

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<v Speaker 1>if you want to go to Notre Dame Stadium to

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<v Speaker 1>Brian Denny Stadium, do it. Experience life. Make sure that

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<v Speaker 1>when you reach the almost old man stage of your

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<v Speaker 1>life that you can look back and say, you know what,

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<v Speaker 1>I've enjoyed myself up into this point, and as I

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<v Speaker 1>crossed that threshold next year, God willing of the Big five, Oh,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm hoping that I'm adding more fun memories and those

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<v Speaker 1>personal tragedies, those personal problems that tend to get focused

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<v Speaker 1>on way more than we should allow it to be

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<v Speaker 1>that those are not the majority of the things that

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<v Speaker 1>I reflect on as I reach that milestone next year.

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<v Speaker 1>This has been mourning coffee with an almost old man,

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<v Speaker 1>My bad. This has been mourning coffee with the right side.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'm your host, the almost old man, Jack Fairchild's

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<v Speaker 1>and we're a part of the Midnight Ride Network.