Good morning! I hope your day is off to a nice start. Yes, it’s been a while since my last post, so I thought it was time to visit old friends.
First things first – some of you have asked about my stroke recovery, and I’m happy to say it’s going really well. The damage appears to have been minimal, affecting mainly my left-side strength, short-term memory, and my ability to regulate body temperature correctly. Otherwise, I’m the same old me.
I attribute a lot of this to the fact that I was pretty healthy before the stroke. Overweight, yes. But still healthy. I take really good plant-based vitamins every day, and I’m sure that helps. But our lifestyle when we travel is so much healthier than when we’re home. We walk, we swim, we visit friends. It all adds up.
We’ve lived in our current home for 23 years. We have some pretty awesome neighbors, but the fact remains, most of us stay hidden within our own four walls. Other than the occasional wave as we drive past somebody sitting outside and a once-a-year block picnic, we’re mostly just occupants of the same street.
And, let’s just say it – that pretty well sucks. We are all social creatures by nature (some more than others), and sitting in a closed-up house in front of the TV is not healthy, physically or emotionally. We need interaction. We need camaraderie. We need hugs. And most of all, we need adventure.
Do we live this way by choice? I guess so, since we’ve done it for so long. But if you had asked me 23 years ago if this was a choice I’d make, the answer would have been a resounding “NO!” It just sort of worked out that way. And, judging by the lack activity in the neighborhood, we’re not alone.
It’s easy to start down a path – any path. Changing that path is uncomfortable, even when we realize it leads someplace we don’t care to go. It takes effort and a fair amount of self-discipline to find a better path. And that’s true of everything, from finances and personal habits to socializing and chasing our dreams. Sometimes, the rut is just the easiest path to follow.
But, as a good friend said years ago, a rut is nothing but a grave with the ends open. It takes a conscious decision to get out of that rut. Yes, we all face challenges and obstacles to achieving the life we desire. But it can be done. We just can’t do it by following the well-worn path to the other end of the grave.
If life isn’t what you’d hoped it would be, do something about it. Set a goal and go after it. Make some new friends. Spend more time with the friends you’ve got. Learn a new skill, take a trip someplace you’ve never been, volunteer in the community. At the very least, you’ll develop new interests. And you may just find yourself on the path to where you always wanted to be.
That’s all for now, friends. Life is short, and tomorrow is never guaranteed. Get out and make the most of it. Meanwhile, have an awesome day!
© 2023 Dave Glardon – All rights reserved
Dave Glardon 