Do Not Go Gentle
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~Dylan Thomas~
1914 – 1953
On the twenty-sixth of June, I will celebrate fifty-eight years of life, and it’s been an eventful half-century. I’m proud to have lived it, happy to have survived it, and because I’m still standing, my defiance to it coming to an end has only strengthened.
In the past two years, I have said my last goodbye to well over a dozen friends. Men my age that were young once, and alive, with dreams and plans and love in their hearts. Hearts that no longer beat and in their wake are left hearts that stand fractured, a void that will never be filled.
We will all meet our maker yet just as with our first breath when the spark of life was fought for and vanquished from the forces of evil, so must we stand and fight our last breath so that it comes at the end of our race and not short of our purpose and destiny.
A handful of very learned men told me my last breath would come before my 58th year were proven wrong by God’s hand and the work of my wife and me over the past couple years. I had heart problems, I was told I was dying, and nothing could be done to prevent it. Ana disagreed and was determined to fight. God and I stood by her decision. By changing my lifestyle, nutrition plan, the kind of exercise I did, and managing my stress, I was able to make my heart healthy again without the aid of any medication.
A year ago I was told by my cardiologist after a battery of tests, that I can easily go another 57 years. He couldn’t explain the changes, but he couldn’t refute them either. My heart and body were as healthy as a 20-year-old man he said.
So for me, this lifestyle is more than just something to do, to have a better body or to compete with someone else. It’s about staying alive and even more than that, living a vibrant and productive life well past 100 years.
I’m Vlogging the process on my Youtube Channel. You can subscribe if you like and follow along and hopefully enjoy the day to day of our sometimes crazy life, that is always full and fun. If you have questions, you can comment on the videos, and I will have the conversation with you there.
I will leave you with a parting thought. Something I shared with a couple of my friends. At 58 years old I have never had more wisdom, more experience, more freedom, more reason, and understanding. I have more to offer the world now than at any other time in my life. I feel It would be a moral crime to settle into a lounge chair and sip flowery drinks until I don’t wake up one morning.
I am hitting the gas. I read at least two books a month. I work 12 hours a day, sleep at least 8 hours at night and nap when I need it. I do some form of exercise each day. My wife and I have at least one date night per week and we make it a point to express our love for each other daily. We have a foster son and soon we will have two more young children to play with, laugh with, and raise and shape into young adults.
I pay a great deal of attention to what kind of food I put into my body. More than ever it needs the best fuel available and plenty of it to keep me healthy, strong and moving forward with my dreams. With half a century of experience and knowledge, I am the most valuable asset to my family and the world than at any other point in my life. I need to run my race as hard as I can for as long as I can until God calls me home. I suppose maybe then there will be a place for me to sit down and put my feet up. Maybe even a tasty drink to sip on, and a whole lifetime to feel good about.
Not everyone will want to do what I am doing but if you knew your true value to your loved ones and the world would you want to do more?
If you are breathing and awake, there is at least one more thing you can do.
