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Im still learning. Your perspective determines your perception. So, if you change your perspective , your perception will change and its not what happens against you that can mess you up, but more of your reaction or response to what happens that can topple you. Choose peace.

I woulda told my younger self ( between 18 and about 30 ) trust your gut. If you acted as a responsible adult then, and had even half the outcomes work out well, dont listen to others who tell you you cant do it that way, or your not doing the things the way " normal " people do them. Live life the way that works best for you, ....... not for others satisfaction. My Dad allways thought I coulda done so much better if I had done it the Old School way his generation had. Years later in his 90's he said I had done just fine doin it a very unconventional way that I had ever since I was on my own at 18. That REALLY felt good that in his twilight years, he saw value and success in my method, although it was very unlike the typical norm of the era. Im so glad he was able to see there are a multitude of ways to live your life and be just fine in the end.

The only thing I would tell my younger self is to be more confident, 'your going to be right more times than you thought possible' still wouldn't change a thing, great video as always.

Concerning regret. I realized long ago that everyone makes their decisions based on what they feel is right for them at the time. So, there's no reason to regret such decisions. However, some of the unforeseen consequences can be regrettable.😊

Just great!

Unsolicited advice is usually ignored. Don't be a busybody. We all have to learn at our own pace.

Well said!

Paul, you'll know by now that All my comments begin with "I Live in a Cabin in the Woods...' A.I. really doesn't bother me too much: I still have to go cut firewood for the Wood-Stove, I still have to go service the Generator & buy Diesel... I'm sure that one day soon the local County Office will have a A.I. drone flying over my House... while I'm busy loading up my Sh*tgun

I think just about everything on earth could be used for bad purposes however as with all the examples you have put forward in the main these advancements are just that an advancement. at 68 I am just getting to grips with AI and to be honest although sceptical at first, I have over the last few days found it to be such a time saving thing, the key to it being useful is knowing your subject matter in the first place, a bit like knowing how to do math before relying on a calculator. Great video! Who knows what is next? as you say quite exciting times.

I’m with you concerning “being cautious”

To me, politics is the most fertile ground for the abuse of AI. Let's hope the guardrails are developed soon.

Great video as always, certainly makes you think about times gone by and I'm pleased to say mostly fond memories.

I spend alot of time reflecting in memory lane. I spend equal time appreciating todays real time memory maker's. It's a stellar " Twofer " . 👍

Right on! I do remember back in the 60s thinking “these are the good old days” and making an effort to remember what I was experiencing… I always joke about “My Legendary Life”😂.. for me the best saving grace for all my memories is the resulting wisdom from being on earth thus long. Thanks for the great video!

Thank you for sharing your insights in these videos, they are great subjects to ponder on, and I find myself always looking forward to the next one. Cheers!

I’m 54 Paul, & I agree with you - I’m living my Best Years now…. Even though I don’t have a lot of $$, I have NO Debt, & live on Freehold land with my Cabin in the 🌲🌲🌲s. I just try to make the ‘Best’ out of Every Day. I don’t have the White-Hot Stress of a Corporate job anymore, so I work a couple hours each day - just enough to put ‘Food on the Table’ & Diesel in the Old Truck 😅👍🏻 Maybe I’ll win the lottery, & things will ‘improve’, but I’m choosing to be Happy Anyways 🕺🏼

To me it's kind of a mixed bag Paul. While the best is NOT yet to come in areas like physical strength, dexterity, and stamina in our older age, things like knowledge, understanding, and empathy seem to improve more as we go along. Freedom from working to support one's family gives more time to pursue other interests. Reading, (as you point out), playing computer games, and cycling being some of my personal favorites. I've found that the best IS yet to come in discovering and trying new things that I didn't have time for in my youth.

Agree that 70s see changes. I'd always enjoyed travel so after retirement I did long trips all over the world. People are so kind & helpful to the traveler. I'm so grateful to have had 10 good years of going anywhere & finding the adventure of new places. Now at 75 I spend a lot of time managing my health & don't travel. But that's OK as it's another adventure, just different obstacles to deal with. Always look forward to your thoughts.

I'm with you Goals, Desires, Plans I have them all and I'm content! the best of all worlds! if it wasn't for the creaking infrastructure life is near perfect, still as I approach 69 I guess a few creaks in the body is not too bad. Love your videos keep them coming. I wish you happiness and health.

The best is past for everyone.

Always enjoy your thoughts! Thank you!

I still have my first transistor radio I got in 1964 when I was living in England. It is a Zephyr 7 transistor radio. I think it still works but I had to replace all the capacitors in it.

Bulletin boards before the internet were very handy, running through my 2400 baud modem.

My first computer was the Commodore Vic-20. :-)

Nice overview of the time. Software came on floppy disks that you loaded into the computer. I grew up in LA & it seems like there was a new freeway opening every few months. Housing tracts popping up everywhere. It was truly a time when it seemed the sky was the limit. Great time to be young. You didn't mention newspaper boys delivering the news on bicycles. My first job & I learned a lot about life from that experience.

Every time I've Ever tried to predict the Future, I've got it dead-wrong! So now I take a 'Wait & See' approach. It drives my Wife mad! but I've lost over a Million $$ in making bad investments & gambling on the Stock/Markets, so now at 54 I'm 'Playing it Safe'

I want to pay off my apartment building this year.

Positivity and Flexibility are great ways to live life, I hope to do a road trip this year maybe visit a friend in Lithuania, maybe even change my car this year? the main challenge is to hang in there!

Saw him many a time. Him and the boys. Was a fortunate time. Love the channels that share all the shows from the old days. Glad the odds dealt me those cards.

Thanks for sharing. Here's to many more great Fridays in 2025!

I enjoyed your photos. You did a great job with them, very creative! Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year, neighbor.

Excellent Pics Paul! The area we live in NewZealand is a bit like your Smokey Mountains ⛰️ 👍🏻 Me & the wife look Fwd to visit the US-of-A Someday, & drive Route 66 😎

We have a Mennonite store we visit every couple weeks to buy some great eggs and other items. There are quite a few living in this area. I have always enjoyed seeing their buggies along the backroads and seeing the enormous farms they run. I think I read somewhere that the Amish are a sect of the Mennonite, but I could be wrong. Anyway, great monthly photos, I enjoyed them all.

Hey! Great segment. I grew up in Elkhart Indiana.. had and have many good friends of Amish and Mennonite persuasion. I had a beautiful and sweet Mennonite girlfriend,but I wanted to rocknroll…

Excellent commentary on Wants, Needs & Materialism/Minimalism Paul. I hear you on the ‘Making Mistakes’ along the way …. I owned 2 Houses & 6 Cars once. That was very Very Stressful! Now life is a LOT Simpler, living in a Cabin in the Mountains & driving a beat-up Old Truck 😅 I’m at the stage in life now in my mid 50’s where my parents are having serious ‘Health issues’. That really makes you ‘Re-asses’ everything!

I want to be wanted.

I took fell into the accumulation trap. It finally dawned on me that the stuff was taking a lot of attention, even when it wasn't used. Time to lighten the load. We say we are too materialistic but sometimes we are driven by the symbolism, by conspicuous consumption.

Great!💕👍

I don't know many people and have very few friends, by choice I suppose. So I like having stuff that I can browse and just having it there whenever I need to see it; it gives me pleasure. But as has been pointed out the more stuff you have the more you worry about it. Also I worry about who has to deal with it when I am gone. So I am trying to let stuff go even if I still like it and want it. edit: I love that "It's all I need!" reference from Steve Martin in "The Jerk"!!

Paul, you're a very modest man. You've built a homesteading kingdom. It's funny I've stumbled across your videos. I live in Whitmore Lake, MI. Which is just 20-30 minutes south of Howell. My wife and I are in our late 20s and dream of having a parcel of land up in the U.P. I've very much enjoyed these two videos you've prepared. What an inspiration. Best Regards, Nick

Right on. Good video. Things haven't been going too well (understatement), the last year, which has lead me to push harder to make it work... but it hasn't. I think I have to accept where I am now and "adjust the sails." I've assessed my situation, and believe that a change in strategy will bring some change. Hopefully positive, hahaha.

Thank you for this. Things are really rough at work right now and I needed to hear this.

Navigating the LA public transit system requires planning and last year when I took it to LAX it didn’t go so well. To the airport was fine back home was not. I arrived at LAX Friday at 10:30PM and I missed a last run bus connection at 1AM in downtown LA. I didn’t feel real safe there so I went back to the subway, caught its last train to Pasadena and walked five miles home. I think I got home at 3AM or so. This year I built in some contingency and made sure I was traveling in daylight. This time it worked well.

Hi Paul, I guess my whole life has been one big flex, like most people things rarely go smoothly so the better you get at flexing the better you get at attaining a reasonable outcome. Be nice from time to time to have an easy ride but I guess I would only get bored if that happened too often. Love your vidoes and your take on life.

I've done a lot of thinking about the passage of time. Yes when we were kids, summer seemed to last forever. Then we got busier and busier and goals had to be pursued. And time flew by. But now that I'm retired (full time!) I've been trying to isolate those aspects of life that would be similar to when we were kids. I think it takes some effort to change our ways at this point in life. The best I've been able to come up with is this advice: Fill your days with meaningful thoughts and actions. Take your time thinking and doing them. That does seem to dilate time just a bit for me.

I really liked this video, Paul - many thanks!

Love the roof analogy ! I think of this all the time with everything I do now that I am allmost 65. I look at big things like roofs, house painting, building structures, even vehicals as " How long do I REALLY need this to last ? I figure 20 years at this point on things like roofs. After that I really dont give a shit if I end up out livin it. And yes, each year goes by faster and faster even though my activity level has stayed the same.

Great topic Paul! My list of "whys" is ponderous. I think it goes back to how people were raised. Kids pick up so many of their good or bad habits from that time period. Things I ask myself why the most are...why are tats considered popular with folks these days? When I was young, we paid money to see the tattooed "freaks" at the county fair. Now you can see them for free anywhere. Why is graffiti considered cool, even when it's defacing monuments or beautiful buildings? When did destruction become cool? I could go on and on, but I'm sure a lot of us have the same questions.

Life is very fair when it comes to aging. Everyone gets another year older each year ... none are favorites.