One hell of a week...

I usually remain abstract. After all, this blog goes under the heading "Random Thoughts" not "Random Events", but I felt the need to write. 1 week ago, I went through "voluntary sterilization".

I know. That phrase alone could cause someone to walk away. Vasectomy seems to lack any connotation related to atrocities performed in the last century.

I did not discuss or even indicate to many that it was planned. In truth, reproduction is not something I discuss often with anyone other than my wife. The idea that I was not going to have children seemed to inspire disbelief very often.

Based on the indication of medical professionals, I should be healed with the next few days. Throughout my life I have healed remarkably quickly. My immune system is a little overactive in some respects and youth does offer the benefit of accelerated rehabilitation.

That being said, I do find myself wondering if this is changing. Part of that is simply random discussions about aging I seem to stumble upon. Part of it is simply knowing that time effects all things (that experience it). The end result is a little bit of uncertainty and a little bit more resolve.

I tend to feel that humans go through stages. This concept was much more popular in bygone eras. We unfortunately tied it to numbers somewhere along the way and so many rebelled against it. In cultures much less focused on time, it is still the prevailing wisdom from what I have been led to believe. I think that many people find the transition between these phases difficult. After all, we have given up many of the ceremonies used to mark them. Commencement has never held the same weight as graduation. We do not maintain any secular coming of age ceremonies. We no longer transition to the role of elder or matriarch with a marked event.

And so, we still change our role but we don't note it outwardly. In my case, I feel that the time of planning has ended. The time of viewing things as means to an end has passed. I did not purchase a starter home. I do not own an "interim" car. I do not have an "interim" job. Now is the time of doing one's life work. I have never been one to put things off or wait for a more opportune time. But, I have always looked forward and prepared. At this time, the plans are laid. It is the time of implementation. The only outward ceremony will be this blog. There is no title to confer, no passing of torches or laurels.

In truth, nothing has changed. A slight shift in an electrical impulse. The bridging of a neuron perhaps. A thought. An idea. A background process indicating that the time is now. A change in perspective towards the present. A slight reminder that we must all live for the moment.