Lately
I’ve noticed a growing tendency among my friends that makes me
feel mighty uncomfortable. Seems a whole lot of them are getting
to the age that they feel they are getting entirely ‘too old’ to
do things they used to do regularly in the past. Case in point. I
have this long time friend, whose dog got struck and killed by
lightning. Now, that in and of itself is bad enough but the sad
part is that one of his friends offered my friend (can you keep up
with this?) another dog to replace the one that was killed.
My friend thought about it and told me “I’m just too old to have a
dog.” Now, this comes from a guy who is tough. I mean I’ve seen
him fight buzz saws before and win. He can run like crazy. He’s in
excellent shape. Works out, lifts weights …but he sees himself as
‘too old?’ What’s this all about? Where is the Age Police anyway
and where do they come from? What I see in a lot of people as they
get older is that they start to give up things that they used to
do all of the time….because, well, you know….”I’m just too old for
that now.”
To this I have one thing to say and that is…….. horse hockey. Give
me a break, where does it say that we have to stop doing things we
enjoy just because we build up some years on us? I realize that
parts of us start to wear out as we age, but if most of our stuff
works why limit ourselves when we don’t need to do so? It appears
to me that some folks start to hide in a hole just because they
are getting into the senior citizens status period of their lives.
My question to you is why are you doing this? I’ve met people in
the last few months that have given up bowling, dancing, flying
airplanes, playing golf….traveling …you name it and they’ve quit
doing it. You know what happens when you ask them about why
they’ve done this? You get a blank stare and a shoulder shrug with
the statement…”I don’t know, I think I was just getting too old
for that.
” Who says so? Who told you that you were old? What made you think
this in the first place? Did it come overnight or just evolve over
a period of time? . I’ve told people for years that the best way
to stop feeling sorry for yourself is to go to a hospital and look
around. You’ll soon realize just how well off you actually are.
Life is a short trip and is done and gone before we’re ready for
it to be over. Why make the least of it rather than the most of
it? If you begin to cut off the activities you like to do, pretty
soon you won’t be doing anything. Then, my friend you’ll be in
real trouble. I see perfectly healthy people who have just sat
down and who never got up again for one reason or another.
Sure none of us can dance like we did when we were in our 20’s.
None of us can run like we could when we were teenagers. But that
doesn’t mean we have to curl up and die just because we’re slower
and less agile. I’m encouraged when I see old folks dancing or out
walking or doing anything. If they can, then it means that I can
as well. Seems to me that we spend the first 20 years of our lives
getting educated, then the next 20 or so years trying to figure
out what to do when we grow up. Then we do about 20 years or more
in some job somewhere that we might like or hate. That doesn’t
leave us much time to enjoy life while we are here on Planet
Earth.
There is a current poem out called…”When I’m old …I shall wear
purple.” Well, let me tell you that I for one think you don’t have
to be old to wear purple. Do it now. Get out of that Lazy- boy and
go plant a tree, volunteer for something, baby sit for somebody,
just get out there and do something. Trust me, if you don’t you’ll
get to the point where you can’t, and then you will be in a fix.
Napoleon once made a great statement when he said," Rest is Rust.”
Old Nappy may have been a lot of things, but he wasn’t one to let
any grass grow under his feet. Me, I want to quit when it comes
time for me to quit. Not anytime before. Comments go to
www.pearyperry.com
