During a time of restoration in our lives, both my husband and I took any kind of jobs just to make ends meet. I’d spent 13 years as a volunteer drama director at the high school our kids attended. With that experience I was able to start my own theatre business, teaching kids acting skills and creating theatre for all ages. My husband went to work for a nature center, because of his love for the outdoors and his street-smart knowledge of all things having to do with it. While the younger naturalists were checking things out on their computers, he was out in the elements, leading nature hikes and spilling over with all sorts of information for young minds.

One day, a child of six asked him, “Mr. Paul, are you a paleontologist?” Mr. Paul replied that he wasn’t, but that he was an old dinosaur. All the information he had learned in his childhood – not just in school, but hands-on information – made it possible to become something he never thought he would be. On many hikes someone would start humming the theme song from the Indiana Jones movies, because they felt like they were on an adventure with Mr. Paul – and they were.

Now both of us are old dinosaurs. Our working days are pretty much over when it comes to anything physical. We still work, using some of the skills we’ve learned along the way, but we’re limited because of our age. The life lessons we’ve learned through living them are still valuable. I would love to be able to share some of them with the new generation. I know they have a ton of information to share with me about technology, new math and artificial intelligence. There could be a whole new element to teaching which imitates teaching of the ancient days of learning. Sharing ideas – working through problems together – building each other up with encouragement and kind words – overlooking differences and realizing that we’re all the same in God’s eyes. Maybe there’s still a mountain of work for us to do as we grow old. I certainly don’t see any benefit in sitting around and waiting to die.