50 at 50

The older I get the less I understand

            I turned 50 this month and wrote about the wisdom I've gained. (It's a very short piece.) Summary: When I die and give my body back to God, I want Him to say, what did you do to this thing? I want to bring to Him a soul full to overflowing because of the relationships and experiences I have had. I want joy to be spilling over the side of my soul bucket like ice cream melting over the side of a cone.

            I chose the two pictures in this newsletter because they reflect those two attitudes—a body worn out, a soul full. They were taken just hours apart on my recent 50-50-50 trip, in which nine friends and I hiked 50 miles, biked 50 miles and canoed 50 miles, all in one epic five-day trip to Wisconsin.

In the one on the beach, I look like the walking dead. In the one on the water, I look fully alive. The irony is – and I can’t explain this, I can just tell you – that mentally and emotionally, it was the opposite. On the beach, I felt vibrant. On the boat, I was so sleep deprived I could scarcely think.
            Anyway. Come for the jokes about pie. Stay for the references to Rush, C.S. Lewis and socks with sandals. Read the full story here, and if you like it, share this newsletter.