Having just turned 50 myself this month, I am partial to this new poem and can relate very well to what John expresses. - poetheart 07/20/03
You know, I just turned fifty-
I know that isn't OLD.
There are far more years behind me,
Than the time I've left can hold.
So I spend more time in thinking,
And less time on the run...
The strange thing I am finding,
Is I get a lot more done.
Does wisdom come with all the miles?
Or with the sudden stops?
Or leather worn out on the road,
Or holes in these old socks?
The time I cursed the mountains-
And the wild and strange terrain.
I'd give a million dollars,
Just to do it all again.
This time I'd stop and think about-
The beauty I have seen,
Pull off my boots and soak my feet,
In some cold, mountain stream.
Drink that extra cup of coffee,
Spend more time with family...
Think more about my loved ones,
And a whole lot less of me.
I'd stay on as a cowboy-
Choose a life out on the range.
Though circumstances alter-
In your heart you never change.
by John R. Yaws