Seven decades of living gives me much to “share”

My journey through life hasn’t been a monotonous walk on a fenced path in a public park. It’s been a wild and exciting roller coaster ride fueled by laughter, lubricated by tears, and filled with colorful characters in interesting geography—probably a lot like yours. A few of my more unique experiences might interest a few, but the shared passions, emotions, and anxieties of living resonate with many.

I have loved, so I recognize its power and majesty; I’ve failed, so I understand the associated emotional trauma; I’ve won, so I’m familiar with the highs that accompany success. Loving, failing, and succeeding are common episodes in all lives, and while our individual circumstances relative to each may be distinct, we’re connected by the common sentiments. A long and active life provides an encyclopedia of response and resolution to these great themes, which requires no additional internet research. The elevated view of the surrounding landscape at age 72 is more complete than the one I glimpsed on my climb to this lofty peak.

A lengthy history in life also equips writers with a good inventory of plausible and relatable reactions to an endless array of new fictitious adventures. Someone frightened once by a mysterious bump in the night acquires mental tools to describe the terror of hearing the killer’s footsteps just outside the door. Only a bit of exaggeration is required to translate a dad’s joy in witnessing his child’s first home run to the euphoria of a fictitious crowd when their college team wins the NCAA championship.

While the cast for a story comes entirely from my imagination, readers identify with them when the characters react predictably to their novel’s imagined stimuli. But, unlike in life, I need not leave anything to chance … because an author of fiction has complete control over the narrative. I can exact fairness by punishing villains and rewarding heroes; and, star-crossed lovers can negotiate the most circuitous of paths in order to reunite before The End. This unrestricted power is inebriating—and I openly admit to enjoying it!