I believe anyone that has stopped to take stock of their life has felt a sense of disappointment with some parts. This is especially true in middle-age. The realization that you have gotten to a point in life where instead of getting stronger and smarter, you are being passed by. People do drastic things to try and regain their competitive edge—sometimes at great cost to themselves and to others.

I don’t think we need to get into personal values that control what we think we are supposed to be or do. These things depend on your heritage and how you were raised. They are surprisingly similar for all of us but change as we go through different stages of life. If we have done the best we can to be kind to other living things, somewhat productive, honest and forthright, there is an automatic feeling of satisfaction. Perhaps our level of insecurity can be minimized by knowing that we have done the best we can so we really don’t have to be concerned about what happens next.

Whenever I have a period of reflection on my life I recall one of my favorite quotes:

“Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans.”
John Lennon