Though I am much younger than Rich, I've shared his and Patrick's sentiments for many years. At the same time, the idea of reaching the end of life doesn't really bother me except for the part about not having completed some of my life's goals.
My now deceased father-in-law, a New Deal Democrat who never voted for a Republican, once shared with me his general views on life. He believed that ideally, our lives should be lived backwards. When we are young and full of vigor and ourselves, we lack knowledge, perspective, and patience, as well as resources. We get so busy trying to make it, that we forget or ignore the many things that are so important in the long run, namely our family, friends, God, country, community, etc.
As we age, we realize how little we actually knew then and how much more there is to learn than we'll ever have time on this earth to acquire. Unfortunately, by that time our lives are already too far along to make drastic changes, our bodies and minds are not nearly as sharp, and sometimes melancholy replaces the hope and energy we once took for granted.
Thank God and Scotland for golf. It is a game that we can pursue until our time has come, even though it is just as frustrating when you're 70 as when you were 30. And so what if you have to take a short hiatus from time to time to pay respect to one of your friends. It beats being the honoree, though after a bad round sometimes one isn't so sure.