I Think That I Can Remember When

I remember the days when I could wake up each morning feeling invigorated and having my body feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the events of the day. You probably can remember those days too. The days when our bodies were young and before we had to purchase the extended maintenance plan for it. There once was a time, where this machine that I call my body, would work smoothly without any hitches and pain free. Yes I can remember those days but I have to really strain to bring them back up from the depths of my memory banks.
I remember being involved in sports and being very fleet afoot. But now I am only fleet afoot when running to the bathroom, because my irritable bowls are acting up.
I used to be able to lose weight quite easily. Now the only weight I seem to be able to lose is when I take off my clothes and my shoes and then take a good healthy dump.
I used to be able to spot a coyote on the Kansas plains from a mile or two away. Now I can still see some sort of outline of him but not without the use of a pair of high power binoculars and my trifocals on.
I used to be able to bend my joints without any pain at all. Now I am mainly able to bend my joints just enough to slather on some kind of mentholated soothing ointment.
I used to be able have my hair blow and move freely in a breeze. Nowadays I seem to be more aerodynamically formed in the head region...I can now stand in gale forced winds and not one short gray hair on my head will move.
I remember the days when I liked all of the colors in a rainbow. Now my all time favorite color is blue.......give it a second...
I remember a day when I could pass a football a fairly good ways. Now the only thing I can pass easily is when my finger is pulled and that something would be gas.
I used to live a pill free life. Now I wake up to take a good 8-10 pills on a daily basis and I can call it breakfast.
I remember when I could get down on the floor and do lots of push ups. I just tried to do some the other day...the only thing I accomplished was getting up close and personal with the dust mites that are in our carpet.
I remember when I could write my full name in the snow.....in cursive writing..... with laser like precision.....while peeing. Now I am lucky if I can miss my knees while dribbling on my toes.
I remember when I could lift and bench press 240 pounds. Now the only thing I want to lift, is another slice of pizza to my mouth.
I remember a day when I had enough motion in my neck, that I could turn my head completely to one side without any pain. Now in order to turn my head to one side, I need to turn my whole body in that direction while keeping my head straight.
My skin used to be firm and tight. Now my skin is so loose, that when I go on a roller coaster, it looks like I have an extra set of floppy butt cheeks slapping the back of my head. And forget about crows feet...I have turkey claws.
I used to have an excellent memory, now I have to leave crumbs just to find my way back to the bedroom.
I must have missed the inter office memo that claimed that 54 is the new 95. Maybe I did read it...I just don't remember doing it.
There used to be words that might have applied to me in my younger days:
Studly, handsome, smart, well toned, hunka hunka burning love, logical, keen eyed, analytical, savvy, adventurous, shy...just to name a few.
But now words like the following seem to apply more:
old, old fart, gray haired old fart, ancient , decrepit, forgetful, out spoken, crotchety, gimpy, shriveled, droopy, floppy...just to name a few.
I think that you can get the picture.
I have to laugh nowadays, when I look in the mirror. What the heck happened??? Where is the me that I can barely remember. I think that I have been "punked"..."punked" by life itself.
I want to apologize for anything written in this blog entry that might come across as crude and tacky. I hope that no one takes offense by it.
I just wanted to make a point and that point is......
geesh.....
damn....
crapola....
hmmmmm......it really wasn't important anyway

Photos From The Past

I found a couple of more photos from way back when:
Here I am with my Mother and my sister. This was back in the late 50s, in Carmel, IN.
My Bubby and Zady. Not sure exactly when this was taken but I can tell you it was a long time ago.

Another picture of my Bubby. Take a look at that stove..they sure don't make them like that any more.

Here is my 3rd grade class picture. I am the one right next to the teachers...can you say "Teachers Pet"

This was our house in Wickford, RI back in the early to mid 1960s.

Here is a photo of our living room in the house. The furniture wall hanging is pretty wild.

Hope And Dreams

Hopes and dreams for the future are a very important aspect of life. When times are tough, when you are having health problems, when everything that you read or see on tv about our economy and our current problems are getting to you, or maybe you are just feeling a little low on any given day, take a couple of minutes to daydream and hope for something better. Allow yourself to be transported to a period of time or a place that is welcoming, comfortable and much happier than the place in your life or a time that you might be currently at. And even if you are happy and content where your life is right now, but want just a little more, then take that mental journey utilizing your minds eye....hope and dream of more...or something better. I find that I can daydream doing yard work, while on my walks or even while cleaning the bathroom...yes I honestly do that...sorry guys. I often dream about a myriad of places and things that I would like to do in my future and I hope that they will all happen. In all of my hopes and dreams, I am always physically sharing them with Veronica. Where I go, she goes. Here is a small sample of what my dreams are and things that I hope I can do in the future. For this blog entry, I have narrowed them down to travel and I would be here for weeks trying to list them all, so I kept the list short. During all of these adventures, I would be taking photographs and journaling our daily adventures so that I could write them down in my blog upon my return home.
I would like to spend quite a bit of time driving around Alaska in a RV. During our travels in Alaska:
I want to go fishing in Minto Flats for Northern Pike
I want to go fishing for Halibut
Watch the Northern Lights
I want to visit and spend time in as many towns and cities in Alaska as possible
I would visit each and every National Park along with all of the tall mountains...from ground level of course...no desire to mountain climb
Cruise every nook and cranny of the Alaskan coastline..which would cover all fjords and glaciers
Watch the bears feeding on the Salmon trying to go up stream
View as much wildlife as possible and especially Moose for Veronica
Stay at some of the rustic lodges within the national parks
Learn about the people, their lives and their culture
Take a train ride in Canada
Drive across Canada
Visit the Canadian Rockies
Visit Banff and Lake Louise
Go to several fly in fishing lodges in the upper northern portions of Canada
Spend a whole Summer at Andy Myers Lodge on Eagle Lake
Visit Slovenia
Visit Austria
See the Alps...no skiing though...bad balance and my ole joints could not handle it
Take a river cruise in Europe
Visit Italy
These are just a few of the things that I dream about doing and seeing and hopefully one of these days I can do some that are on this list. Only time will tell.
I realize that this list might seem really silly, especially with our economy and all of the negative things that we keep hearing daily.
But my list isn't the real point of this blog entry.
The real point is this...when you are at your lowest low, even when you are at your highest high....allow yourself to have hopes and dreams about your future.
Your hopes and dreams are as important as the blood that flows through your heart. They keep your soul energized. They keep you wanting and yearning more for yourself and for your life. It keeps you thinking positive thoughts about the future. It can help you through poor health and it can perk up the tired soul. Hopes and dreams can have amazing healing qualities. The can keep you going through the toughest of times.
Even if I don't get to do one thing that is on my list, those hopes and dreams have still served a purpose....because...
Life without hopes and dreams means that I am merely existing.
And I want more out of my life than to merely exist.
I want to live my life.....
And in order to do that...I will keep on clinging to my hopes and I will keep on dreamin' about my future.