Not Dead Yet
but slowing down for sure
It’s been awhile since I’ve written here but I am still alive and well. Or at least whatever passes for ‘well’ these days. At age 72 I find I can’t do all the things I used to do when I was younger, but I am still doing plenty. Every morning I generally read the obituaries from our local newspaper. I can take some comfort in knowing my name is not there just yet, and I am not joking either. Reading the obits is a good motivator to get me doing things. I tell myself “this is not a dress rehearsal, Dave!” But I am saddened when I see friends who have died, like a former co-worker who was younger than me and passed at age 70 recently.
I do try and take care of myself as best I can. I eat plenty of fruits and vegetables along with modest amounts of meat. I love beans of all kinds and colors, and fish is often on the menu. I’ve been growing fruits and vegetables for most of my adult life, and it is both a hobby and a source of joy for me. And I love eating the things I grow along with what we get from farmers markets. So I got that going for me at the least!
That hasn’t always been the case for me though. I smoked in my younger years, and when I quit over 30 years ago I decided to clean up my act as best as I could. I began walking and cycling for exercise, and then took up running. My first race was the popular local Arts Fest River Run. The race started in Henderson KY and runners crossed the Ohio River bridge to finish in downtown Evansville IN. It was popular with local runners, and had volunteers lining the course to serve water and give encouragement.
I took a deep breath, filled out the entry fee and sent in a check. I thought it was about a three or four mile race, which I was capable of doing at that point. After entering, I found out it was a 12K race. My metric was a bit fuzzy at that point, so I reckoned that was about five miles or so. Imagine my surprise when I finally did the math and figured out it was almost 7.5 miles! So, I upped my training a bit, and I am happy to report I finished that race and ran every step of it. I still have my finishers medal from that race, though a lot less hair than I had in the photo.
I ran a lot of local races back then, and before I knew it I was training for my first marathon in 1997. I finished the Marine Corps Marathon in the cold and the rain, and went on to run five more marathons over the years plus a lot of shorter races. My running days are behind me now, and I am happy to go for brisk walks around our neighborhood for exercise. Of course the gardening is good exercise too, and if you don’t believe me I invite you to come spend an hour or so with me pulling weeds, spreading compost or digging some beds.
I also enjoy working with wood, and I made a few tables earlier this year for my wife and me. These are functional pieces as well as artistic, and I enjoyed making them as well as seeing them in use. I have several other projects currently in the works, including making some frames for my wife’s fabric art. Those will be good activities for me in the coming months, when the garden work slows down and it is cooler out in my workshop.
I do have other pieces I am working on for here, including one that will require me to bake a cake! I am looking forward to that and more in the weeks ahead.