Good afternoon! I hope wherever you are, your day is going just about perfectly.
Yes, I know. I usually write in the morning. And this post is a day late. I haven’t forgotten what day it is. They say that day will come, now that I’m retired. I think that day will come now that I’m old(er) and starting to forget lots of other stuff. But, as I listen to all these other old(er) folks around me, I’m in good company. At least I remember where I hid the bourbon.
As many of you know, my wife and I live in an active 55+ community. By “active” I mean we can find amusement in the simplest of things. We spent two hours decorating our golf cart for a Halloween parade yesterday that Mother Nature vetoed. She won. The cart is still decorated. I thought about leaving it that way until next year, but the Christmas crowd may not approve.
And last night, we attended a Halloween dance. The theme was “favorite books” so we went as Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, complete with overalls, straw hat, and bare feet. It’s apparent people here don’t read much, because NOBODY got it. “Hey, farmer Brown!” If you felt a rumbling in the vicinity of south-central New York, it was Mark Twain rolling over in his grave.
But it’s all in fun. At this age, you find ways to amuse yourself. Especially in a community where there are no kids to make fun of you. If you ever saw me dance, you’d understand. And I sing almost as well. But I can ride a beer shuttle with the best of ‘em! It’s fun watching the younger people in a micro-brewery when the short bus pulls up and all the geezers walk in.
One of the shuttle drivers told me a couple of years ago, “You guys are fun. When we left the park, it was just quiet chatter among friends. After each stop, it got a little more animated, and on the ride home I was waiting for you all to start singing!” Believe me, they earn their tips. How would you like to be the designated driver for a dozen seniors on a four-hour binge?
Beyond that, people here are into every kind of hobby you can imagine, and all of those hobbies have a dedicated club, whether it’s cards, lapidary, ceramics, woodworking, music, art, cooking, shuffleboard, bocce, or pickleball. I say that as if I’ve played any of them. Okay, bocce is within my physical abilities. Shuffleboard, maybe, but I think you have to be older for that.
We even have a group that takes a bicycle ride every Monday. I was ready to go with them until I found out most have e-bikes and the average speed is about 15 mph. I have a me-bike, and I can’t pedal it that fast off a cliff. I’m trying to build stamina, but getting up out of the recliner isn’t what most experts consider a full-body workout. They need to try it with this body.
But with my weight loss (37 pounds over 5 months), this body isn’t quite as big a mess as I thought. Visually, yes. I own a mirror. I still live with back pain every day, but the flare-ups resolve a little faster now. And, for the first time in years, I can actually get up from the floor without an engine hoist. Toss a snake on the floor and I can levitate.
If there’s a theme to today’s post, it’s that every moment we’re breathing, life is moving on. We can embrace that or try to fight it, though the graveyard is full of people who lost that battle. The fact is, we only get one life, and our goal should be to make it the most exciting ride possible. You know, like a rollercoaster with no seat belts, but not quite so masochistic.
The fun is all around you. Maybe not exactly the fun you were hoping for, but enjoyment is in the eye of the beholder. Anything can be fun. Except a broccoli-eating contest and the resultant air quality afterward. Trust me on that. But if you want to learn how to make things fun, just watch a child. Their imagination knows no bounds, and they can teach us a lot.
That’s all for today. The weekend isn’t even half-over, and you’ve earned some enjoyment. It’s the simple things that count, and they are the ones you and your family will remember for years to come. So, find your fun and make the most of it. Meanwhile, have an awesome day!
© 2026 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved
Photo courtesy of Dawn Brumfield
Funny stuff, Dave! It sounds like you find some fun in about everything you do. Me, too. It makes “the senior years” more tolerable.
Thanks, Denise! I sat down at the computer with no idea what I was going to write, so I just let it flow. I’ve gotta say, I enjoyed that almost as much as a beer shuttle! And yes, you DO know how to find the fun, also. We need to spread this secret around!
I am curious if you are getting as many Chinese “readers” as I have been for the last couple of months. I get dozens every day. Some days that is all my blog gets. It’s frustrating.
Same here, Denise. In my case, it’s easily 10 – 1. I guess that means I’m just feeding the AI bots with more stuff to use against humanity. But, somewhere in that mix are a few people who may need what I wrote. At least I’d like to think so.