Bonus time …

Maybe it’s a generational thing. I was 37 when the 9/11 terrorist attacks occurred. It touched us all greatly and 16 years later, I cannot shake the memories of that time. It’s embedded in our consciousness, permanently. As we got through our day on Monday, it surprised me how little 9/11 is discussed in academic settings. This semester, I happen to teach a class (Public Presentations) on Monday and Thursday mornings at 8, and I devoted Monday’s class to a discussion of 9/11. Most of the students told me that, other than a cursory moment of silence, the anniversary was never really a topic in school growing up. I find that odd. Regarding my previous post, JFK’s assassination was often cited as a seminal moment in our modern history, and was a frequent topic in social studies through my school years. It surprises me that 9/11 is not as much of a front-and-center topic in school. Maybe I’m mistaken on this, but in my small sample size of Marist students/millennials to whom I spoke, they said it was not a focus growing up.

Anyway, while 9/11 is still on my mind, I wanted to share a Facebook post that my early-morning jogging buddy Schneider put up last week on the occasion of his 47^th birthday:

Well today is my 47th birthday and I have to say I have mixed emotions. I can't believe I'm the age that my father was when he passed away. He seemed so old to me when I was 18. I couldn't imagine not being here with my family. I feel like this is all bonus time now for me. I'm so thankful that I'm losing my hair and going gray. I'm so thankful that I have my health and a loving family. Life is going by so quickly now and I really want to enjoy the journey. I miss you Dad and I hope you’re proud of me and what I have become.

While this is a touching post for sure, the words that struck a chord with me were “bonus time.” What a wonderful perspective to have, even at the relatively young middle-age of 47 – that from here until God calls him, it’s all bonus time. Would that we all live our lives that way. I think of the FDNY firefighters and other heroes of 9/11, and the innocent victims of that day, and how their families probably yearn for some “bonus time,” 16 years later. So as we muddle through our days and whine about this and that (I’m as guilty as the next person, trust me), remember that it doesn’t matter your age or your stage in life. It’s all bonus time.