It Ain’t Over Till the Fat Lady Sings

Good afternoon friends!  I know, I know … morning was gone several hours ago.  But sometimes we do these things when we can, right?  I sure hope you’re having a nice day.

Things change as we get older.  I guess that comes as no real surprise to anyone.  Prices go up, energy goes down, and music will just never be the same again.  Can I get an amen?  Sure, that’s just the short list.  There are also plenty of aches & pains, but thankfully there are also plenty of doctor visits to discuss them.  My diagnosis is pretty much the same.  I’m old.

And it doesn’t help when the doctor’s advice is to slow down.  Oh sure, they want me to be active.  Walking, swimming, riding my bicycle, and things like that.  Funny they never mention skydiving or happy hour.  But, during all this activity, I have to keep my blood pressure under control, and my days of lifting heavy weights are over.  Or, so says the doctor.

Now, it’s not like I ever lifted really heavy weights anyway.  Even when I went to the gym on a regular basis, I kept it within reason.  That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  But to tell me I can’t pick up a bag of salt or bench press a running lawnmower is hard to handle.  It’s like telling me to be less of a man.  Worse yet, I have to watch younger people do these things for me.

I could cry about it, or I can do what I was going to do anyway – fight back.  I may never be the nimble young stud I once was (stop laughing!) and my grandkids may have to climb into my lap on their own.  Thankfully, they’re still willing to do that.  Another thing about getting older – grandkids tend to outgrow their grandparents.  That’s the hardest one to handle.

Equally difficult is looking back at all those missed opportunities and latent dreams.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m thrilled with my life, and there’s not much I’d change if I could.  But that doesn’t mean I’m ready to roll over and just take whatever life throws my way.  Besides, I’m the one who abused this body all those years.  I’ve earned it.

But with every new day comes new opportunities.  It may be the same old opportunities or something completely new.  As a comedian, I always reminded people that we don’t stop laughing when we grow old – we grow old when we stop laughing.  The same is true of opportunity, and life.  But the sad fact is, too many people stop living long before they die.

As long as we have air in our lungs and food in our belly, we have the ability to enjoy a more complete and vibrant life.  Yes, that vibrance may fade over the years, but it never completely goes away.  It’s our ability to make the most of life, and those opportunities, that determines whether we spend our days living or wasting away.  You already know my choice.

Give this some thought over the weekend.  Just because you missed an opportunity once doesn’t mean it’s gone forever.  And the fact that you can’t run as fast as you used to, or jump as high, doesn’t mean you’re bedridden.  Life is what we make of it.  Make yours count!

That’s all for now.  Make the most of the day and have an awesome weekend!

© 2023 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved