When is it time to rest on your laurels?

I read this article by the very energetic and prolific @CryptoMax .

Oh, the energy, vim, and vigor of youth. The drive. The desperate will to succeed. No mere survival for some.

Many people make sacrifices when they are young. They are driven to achieve more and more.

In my day we called this a type A personality; the Alpha male. I believe this philosophy has been debunked. In wolves and humans.

I see so many young people burn so brightly, achieving success and riches until they burn out often in their thirties or forties. Then comes the midlife crisis, divorce, loss of identity, and the quest to "go find themselves."

And I think of the old fable of the tortoise and the hare. The race they have. The hare speeding around running here, running there. The tortoise plodding along at a slow but steady pace, finally crossing the finish line first, with energy to spare.

Tortoises live long lives while hares live only for less than a decade. Some species only live a few seasons. Tortoises can live centuries.

I'm at the age of retirement. Some of my colleagues are still driving themselves into the dirt, frenetically acquiring more and more money. They already have 2 or 3 homes, many cars, boats, some even have helicopters and private jets.

I don't have all the fancy toys, but I stopped speeding here and there focusing on getting on having some time ago. I regret not slowing down sooner.

I regret not spending more time with my boys. I regret failing to romance my wife while she was still young and healthy enough to appreciate it. I regret, if not alienating, then not forming a solid bond with my daughter. My hopes to bond with my grandchildren are high.

I rest easy in the knowledge that my plodding, singular focus has provided security for my children, grand children, even great grandchildren. I hope they can make something of the legacy I've left them.

These are just an old man's musings.

My point is, go ahead and strive for greatness and riches. But don't forget to stop and appreciate the riches right under your nose.

All photos license free from Unsplash.