By Burt Lum

As I sit and ponder the meaning of life on the eve of my birthday, my thoughts are fixed on my elders, special individuals who have walked life's path before me and possess wisdom only years of experience could bring.

Parents and grandparents are top of the list, but I've come across many others who have imparted pearls of wisdom to this hungry soul.

From the whimsical to the profound, you need to stay alert in order to receive any of these lessons.

The tennis courts at Ala Moana Beach Park are fertile ground for great insight. When I asked one senior his secret to playing, he told me two things. First, if you want to play when you get old, don't stop playing when you are young. Secondly, as a matter of choice, he always buys green bananas. Like a Zen koan, I contemplated that one for a bit.

Some of these seniors have the greatest lives. One who comes to mind travels the back country of the Midwest, going from campground to lake, fishing and contemplating the summer away. During the winter months, when the weather gets too cold, it's back to Hawai'i for warm days and tennis. If that's not a life, I don't know what is. I wish this fellow would keep a blog, as I can envision his Thoreau-esque revelations out in the Montana wilderness.

One senior that I've keep track of through his Web log is Bob Graham at www.bgrahamonline.com.

I've met Bob only virtually. I learned about his travels back in 2002. His frequent trips are chronicled and nicely laid out on his Web site.

"Trips, Trails and Tales Along the Way" has such a romantic ring to it. Bob's journals are sometimes short snippets of life on the road. Other times they are a reflection on the joys of living. I enjoyed reading about his recent summer trip to the Northwest Territories and Alaska.

Bob's Road Trek camper is in winter storage now, but the experience lives on for all of us on the Web. ;-)

Reach Burt Lum at www.brouhaha.net.