Blessings and purpose in the 4th quarter of life

In many cultures and countries there is a formal changing of the guard before a sacred civic monument. In Greece, it is in front of the Parliament building.

In Great Britain, before Buckingham Palace, St. James Palace and Wellington Barracks.

In Arlington National Cemetery, in the United States, it takes place before the tomb of the Unknown Soldier. And onlookers are instructed to remain silent and standing.

This is the correct posture for thanks and respect: All rise. Stand for the late Queen, our mothers and all who labor to improve our world just a little.

As I watched House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s farewell the other day, I wondered if we are seeing the beginning of a generational changing of the guard in our national political leadership.

And, if so, is this salutary?

I think an essential aspect of a conservative point of view is: Remember unintended consequences. Be careful what you wish for.

Or, put more affirmatively: Be satisfied. You have enough. You have done enough. The present will suffice. Enough will suffice.

Maybe your life is already more than blessed.

So, count your blessings instead of sheep, as old Bing once sang.

Or if you are Mrs. Tom Brady, be grateful for the guy who is, not the guy you wish him to be.

And if you are Mr. Tom Brady, accept that you have achieved plenty. Be satisfied.

None of us should assume that change, per se, is good and usually for the better.

Of course, ours is the binge, Amazon “fulfillment” culture. Want more. Get more.

How many people do you know who are satisfied?

We ought to have Thanksgiving quarterly, not yearly.

But maybe Satisfied Saturday should be held every week. For we greatly undervalue contentment.

Mrs. Pelosi seems satisfied with her long run. At peace.

And many Democrats in the House who have chaffed for years under their party’s geriatric leadership in the chamber seem relieved, even delighted, at the chance to move on.

But, be careful what you wish for. The House Democrats may struggle to find someone as classy, compassionate, tough and savvy as Mrs. Pelosi.

When Mrs. Pelosi’s husband was attacked, Republican politicians tittered. When GOP Whip Steve Scalise was shot, Nancy Pelosi wept.

Mrs. Pelosi is very old (82) and has seemingly been around forever. But the flip side of that coin is experience and wisdom — two more things Americans seem to badly need but greatly undervalue.

And I wonder about pundits and Democrats who want Joe Biden to step down. Are you sure about that, guys?

Are you sure anyone of the new breed can beat Trump Lite?

And what makes you so sure that Trump Lite beats Trump Genuine Draft?

Honor your elders and your doubts.

Count your questions as well as your blessings, if you want to be as wise as Mrs. Pelosi, or Mike DeWine, or Lamar Alexander, or Mitch Daniels (the former governor of Indiana and retiring president of Purdue), one day.

No doubt because I am myself approaching “the back nine,” the fourth quarter, or the ninth inning, I have become interested in what driven people do for an encore.

Not everyone is cut out for retirement.

But there is also a time to leave the big stage and be satisfied.

The trick may be to step back but stay in the game.

I am glad Mrs. Pelosi is staying in Congress as a backbencher, in the tradition of John Quincy Adams. His greatest years were on the backbench, not as president.

Her choice is far better than resigning and going to “K” Street to lunch, kvetch and make money.

These days I go to fewer weddings and more funerals than I’d like. But I’m learning. The well-led and well-loved lives seem to be those of service. Service breeds a sense of purpose, and, interestingly, gratitude and joy.

The singer and songwriter Neil Young has a new record out. He is 77 and grateful for the earth and its seasons (both of which he wants to save) and for being able to keep working.

I’ll stand for Mr. Young. Garrison Keillor, the author and radio entertainer, is grateful for Mozart.

And he asks: How is it possible that a man who lived so few years, with so many ailments and worries, and in a time without central heating, refrigeration, penicillin or chemotherapy, how is it possible that this man created such radiant joy in his music? Joy that will never perish.

Stand for Mozart.

And for Anthony Fauci, Jane Goodall, and Fr. Gregory Boyle.

And maybe some people very near to you.

Theologian Karl Barth, who famously said that the angels play Bach in heaven but en famille play Mozart, said of the latter composer:

“He died in misery like an unknown soldier, and in company with Calvin, and Moses … he has no known grave. But what does this matter? What does a grave matter when a life is permitted simply and unpretentiously, and therefore serenely, authentically and impressively, to express the good creation of God, which also includes the limitation and end of man.”

If you have your health and a roof over your head, be grateful. Be really grateful.

If you have purpose, with limitations, stand, salute the sun and kiss the ground when you wake.