KRIS

 I've been lucky.

My health has been relatively good through the years with occasional minor bumps in the road.

I'm still ambulatory as I approach my 81st trip around the sun in a couple of months.

I don't really mind getting old.

Oh I do occasionally think, "ah, to be 30 again!"

But those thoughts are fleeting.

What I DO resent about aging is seeing my heroes getting older and retiring or worse, dying.

The latest shock was hearing that Kris Kristofferson had retired.

Hell, he's just a kid, isn't he?

Well, no, turns out he's gliding toward his 85th birthday later this year and had been in our ears for over 50 years.

Actually Kris retired late last year but the word just hadn't gotten out until a few weeks ago when he confirmed it.

I always liked this next song that Kris wrote for Johnny Cash.

Heck, I think I *lived* this song, back in the day.

There's another old-timer in this video, Willy Nelson, who at 87 is still singing for his supper.

And the last of The Highwaymen as this group was called, Waylon Jennings, died a young man in 2002.

He was only 64.

So, let's give up a hand for Kris and his pals, one more time.