Best Life – Dave Glardon

Your Dreams Won’t Chase You

January 24, 2025January 22, 2025 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning, and happy Friday! I hope your day is off to a great start.

Most of you know I’m a firm believer in dreams. We should all have dreams, and not just the kind we get when we’re asleep. Okay, some of those can be fun as well, but you can’t always talk about them in church. I’m talking about the kind of dreams you can share with anybody. Even your wife.

Several years ago, I put a picture of a motorhome on my desk. Every day as I sat at my desk, that picture was right there in front of me, reminding me of what I was working for. It took a few years, and some financial wizardry, but in March of 2020, we drove that dream off the lot and began a life of adventure that we could never have fully imagined.

We traveled through 20 states over the next few years, up to five months at a time, just enjoying the freedom of the open road. Of course, some roads are better than others. One day in Texas, we hit two waves of asphalt that would have made Evel Knievel vomit. At highway speed. That can be fun in a dune buggy, but not so much when you’re driving your house. To my credit, nothing broke.

One of our goals in all that driving was to find a place where we could retire. We didn’t know where that would be, but we knew it wasn’t in Ohio. We found it in Tucson, Arizona. Yes, I know. Tucson is hot. But it’s a dry heat. Go ahead and laugh. We love the climate, the scenery, the people, and the RV resort we returned to for the next three years. Living in Tucson became our next dream.

That dream came true last November. We now live in a place where, at 67, I’m one of the younger people in the community. And let me tell you, these old people know how to live! They dance, they walk, they play games, and when these folks ride a bicycle, they don’t mess around. Ever heard of El Tour de Tucson? Google it. We’re talking 60+ miles, and most of these people are in their 70s.

After I had my stroke, our daughters came to visit. Within a few days, they both said, “Now I get it.” Our oldest even said, “You have a better social life than I do!” We do. There’s always something going on, and we try to do it all. Dances, dinners, parties, tours. And at the end of the day, we take a relaxing drive in the golf cart, stopping to talk to neighbors on just about every street.

Maybe that appeals to you, maybe not. We all have our own dreams. The point I’m trying to make is, without a dream, we’d still be sitting in that same living room, never knowing what all we were missing. My tombstone would read. “Here Lies Dave – He Died.” Well, someday I will. But not until I do some more living first!

If you’re not living your best life, what are you waiting for? It all starts with a dream. Once that dream becomes a burning desire, it’s inevitable. Sure, you have to work at it, too, but once you know the outcome, the rest is just mechanics.

That’s all for now. Chase your dreams until you’re living them. You can do it! And it all starts now. Have an awesome weekend!

Want a Little Cheese With That Whine?

January 15, 2024 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning! I hope your day is off to a nice start.

Depending on where you are in this country, the weather outside is somewhere between freezing and words you’d rather I don’t use here. Believe me, the neighbors have heard them, probably the last time I worked on my truck. Let’s just say I don’t have a lot of patience for things that don’t go according to plan. Or split knuckles. Vehicle maintenance involves both.

We all get frustrated. And when we do, it’s easy to say things we wouldn’t say in church. Oh, we may utter God’s name, but more as a hyphenated adjective. And loud. Nothing eases frustration like announcing our displeasure to the entire neighborhood all at once. Just one more reason I no longer work on my own cars. The neighbors took up a petition. I lost.

Okay, there’s another reason. I’ve found that life is a lot more pleasant when I’m floating in a swimming pool, playing with my grandkids, or simply gazing across the desert at the beauty of nature. Besides, my cardiologist suggested I find more ways to avoid stress. He didn’t exactly prescribe the bourbon, but I’ve been running my own tests. So far, the data is leaning my way.

We’ve all met people who go through life as if every waking moment is another reason to complain. It’s too hot. It’s too cold. Gas is too expensive. The boss is too cheap. And everybody and everything in this world exists for the sole purpose of ticking them off. Do yourself a favor. If you’re around these people when the news comes on, find the nearest exit and run!

I’ve always been into motivational reading and positive thinking. I can’t say it’s always shone through in my daily life, but I try. And I used to think I could spread some of that positivity to those who seem to have been cheated at birth. But the fact is, angry people aren’t born that way – they’re miserable by choice. It’s like a menu item that nobody wants, so they swallow everybody’s share.

In our discussions about living our best life, it should be obvious that this mindset doesn’t fit. You can’t enjoy life if you’re unhappy with everybody and everything life has to offer. To live that way is more crippling than a crushed spine. There is no joy, because that would only remind them of what they’ve been missing their entire life. There’s only misery. And it’s always somebody else’s fault.

Bitterness is a poison. We all know how it affects us emotionally, but the physical effects are even more damaging. It causes headaches, high blood pressure, and all manner of illness. In fact, the National Institutes of Health noted that 75-90 percent of illness is caused by anger and stress. And the effects on the heart are even more devastating. Seems like a lot of misery for … well, you know.

None of us are immune to disappointment. That’s just a part of life. It’s what we do with that disappointment that counts. We can keep it in perspective and focus on things that offer a higher level of serenity. Or we can nurture it and allow it to grow into the cancer of resentment. Choose happiness. Our days on this planet are numbered, anyway. We might as well enjoy the ride.

That’s all for now. Have an awesome day and an even better week!

Act Your Own Age, Not Mine

December 26, 2023 by Dave Glardon, posted in Uncategorized

Good morning! I hope you enjoyed the best of whatever you celebrate this holiday season and are eagerly anticipating the start of what could very well be your best year ever. You just have to want it.

Some of you have noticed a change in my approach to these messages. Based on comments, both online and in person, I think I may be onto something. It’s really simple. No matter what life has thrown your way, the very fact that you’re able to read this proves one thing – you ain’t dead yet.

These words aren’t only for old folks who, like me, wake up every day with body aches and a foggy brain that remind us we’re not as young as we once were. Okay, I really don’t need the daily reminders. Yes, I’m old enough for Medicare. I know that. My eyes aren’t as good as they used to be, but the bathroom mirror doesn’t lie. Neither does the scale, but that’s another story.

Living in a 55+ community, I’ve come to realize that living your best life isn’t something we trade in for a senior discount card. We still party. We still dance. And we’re known to sip an adult beverage or two. It doesn’t matter. In a park where most people travel by golf cart, nobody cares if you can balance on one foot as long as you can find your own driveway. So far, I’ve only missed once.

You know what we don’t have? People sitting around, commiserating about their gout and goiters. I’ve seen people who are nearly crippled out there walking the streets with friends every morning. I’ve seen them wood carving and quilting in spite of their arthritis. And I’ve seen old men flirting with great-grandmothers. Sometimes it even works. I won’t lie – I’m taking notes.

Yet, living among all those old farts, I have to travel outside our gates into the “real” world to find people who are truly handicapped. I’m not talking about the stuff that gets you a special parking spot. Those are at least real. I’m talking about the handicaps living in a dark place in our mind that we don’t discuss with professionals who could at least slap some sense into us.

Let’s face it, some people are miserable simply because they choose to live that way. They couldn’t get invited to a funeral if they were the guest of honor. Nobody wants to be around them. Ever heard of RBF? It’s a clinical term for a face that scares the preacher, makes small children cry, and prevents unwanted sexual advances. Okay, it gets in the way of the other ones, too.

I feel bad for anybody who truly wants to enjoy a more fulfilling life and can’t. Yet, in a way, I feel even worse for those who could do better but find an excuse not to. Age has nothing to do with it. I’ve been there. It wasn’t a happy time, and I still struggle with it occasionally. We all do. The trick is to remind yourself it’s only a resting place, not a destination. Dust yourself off and move on.

That’s all for now. We’ll talk about this more in the coming weeks, but as you plan your New Year’s resolutions, here’s one we could all try – living life to its fullest. This is my wish for each of you. Have an awesome day!