It is interesting how the environment tends to become quiet around us as we get older; however, inside our heads there will be an awful lot of noise going on. Once you reach the age of 70, you do not necessarily reminisce about those “good old days”; instead, you analyze your current state of affairs using a magnifying glass. You finally find yourself capable of making sense out of things – the fog disappears and everything becomes crystal clear. You know what you’ve accomplished and what you have been through; therefore, no one has the right to ask you to perform or carry a burden of any sort.
Many of us followed the “rules of should” for decades. We should remain good friends with a person because we’ve known each other since the Nixon era. We should not cause a rift in the family because family comes first. Also, we should oblige our neighbor whenever they call because they need help because it is the polite thing to do. However, at 70, you begin to realize that peace is more than just an idea, it becomes a necessity. You start to realize that to achieve peace, you might need to free yourself from certain ties.