When I was little I wanted to be rich. I wanted all of the great gadgets I saw on television. I wanted theses things for myself and the prestige that went with them. Well, time has gone on. Some of the toys I got, but a lot of them I have not yet earned. But, that is not so important to me anymore. My deepest regret is not the wealth I have not earned for myself, but the wealth I have not earned for my parents. I look at beautiful places and I find myself wishing not for me, but thinking if I had this or that I could do so much more for those that I love.
So many pitfalls are avoided when you want things for others. Perhaps wanting to do for others gives you more drive and ambition. Giving to someone else gives you perks along the way. A father working to support his children gets to live in the great house he has purchased and drives the nice car he purchased because of his family. The drive to pursue and accomplish these things came out of a love to do for others.
Many people think of giving as a stupid thing but perhaps it is the only way to accomplish the goals in life you really want to achieve. Getting up and going to work may require a second thought when it is only you, but with another person depending on you the second thought never occurs; you just get going.
My father has aged and barely walks now, but still finds the strength to get out and go to lunch with me. His appetite is not so good now but he always tells me he feels OK. I try my best to get him to complain but he will not. And in his pain he is concerned about me being tired. Aging with my Dad is a walk of love and learning. Complaining about past differences and they surely did exist seem so trivial and I wonder why were they even so important then.
The unimportant things now seem like the most important things in the world, a game of catch or a conversation on the front stoop. But it is with aging that we realize the importance of small things and as the aging grows these things loom above us like giants. Dad never worried about how wealthy or how great I would become. He only wanted me to be able to look after myself. Being rich and famous was never a requirement; that was my deal. Will I pursue riches? Most likely, but never without the tag of doing for others whatever I can. I now know I will not miss anything by doing so.