All things considered, I am grateful

V

vito

Hawkeye
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Jan 2, 2005
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Northern Illinois
This morning I woke up with the arthritis in my hands really hurting, and it put me into pretty much of down mood. I'm 81 and some days I feel every one of those 81 years. Add to that my litany of aches, pains and medical issues and contemplating how my personal calendar seems to be primarily filled with doctor's visits, all added up to starting the day badly.

But after some cups of coffee I took my two dogs out for what is normally our hour long walk, when after only about 20 minutes the sky turned black and the rain came pouring down. Loud thunder, but no lightning and after 20 more minutes we made it my garage, all three of us soaked as if we had been thrown into a river. But we were well, and walking in a heavy rain is not all bad (wearing a decent hat I could keep the rain out of my eyes). Later I showered and got ready for the day, ate some lunch and then went out for an hour and a half on my little Royal Enfield motorcycle under now blue skies and a bright sun.

I got home and enjoyed a cold drink, sitting on the covered deck of our home with my wife, talking about old movies. That was when it struck me that I had better stop feeling sorry for myself since I have a pretty damn good life and have so much to be grateful for. My life isn't perfect, but whose life is? I have a lot of "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" moments, especially at night if you know what I mean, and I have yet to win the lottery. But I'm 81, still on the green side of the grass, still able to enjoy a lot of things, and maybe most importantly, still with the love of my life at 58 years and counting. I just have to remind myself of my good fortune more often and stop focusing on the little things that are not as I wish they were.
 
Amen brother vito! There are 1440 minutes in a day and each of them is a chance to make a difference. Some minutes are great and others can be horrible. When you sit and think about it you can either feel good about life or wonder why you bother.

Having lost my only child, having cancer, watching my 1st wife die before my eyes of a massive heart attack and having cancer 3 more times.... I could give up but I won't. I still have a good and blessed life.

This afternoon my wife and I had a great dinner of grilled Delmonico steaks, fresh tomatoes and sweet corn. After we went for ice-cream at a local farm market and now we are relaxing in our picnic pavilion.

Life is what you make it!!!
 
I've made it a practice every morning to look in the mirror (scary by itself) and say: "You have a decision to make today. You can make it a good day or a bad day. What's it gonna be". Then, I always say "good day".
p.s. I'm very old too. I'm angry that I can no longer lift a 60 lb bag of anything.....but I'm extremely happy that I can oftentimes lift 45 lbs of something. WE ARE TRULY among the lucky ones Vito.
J.
 
I'm rearranging my back yard. I'm using those concrete test cylinders for borders, and filling a wlkway with mulch. Those bags of mulch aren't that heavy, but they are so limp! And heat index had been ner 111* here. I take frequent breaks and drink lots of water. Snd maybe four or five hours is my limit.

But few things are so satisfying as coming inside, stripping off my sweat soaked clothes, taking a hot shower, shaving and splashing on some bracing aftershave and kicking back in my recliner. Hot showers just seem to melt the aches and pains away. For awhile, at least.

Bob Wright
 
As always,, it's our own attitude that can make us happy or sad. A perspective on what we are blessed with,, vs what we may want or wish for,, can be a game changer. I have a friend,, who,, over the years,, I've watched become more & more bitter about his life. I've quietly nicknamed him "bi***in Bob."
Yet,, Miss Penny & I often sit & relax with each other & marvel at our blessings and at how happy we are. God has blessed us,, and we appreciate it.
 
I fully understand and agree. Some mornings, I wake up barely able to stand but drag myself up and face the day. I figure I can't do as much as I once could but whatever I can do is better than nothing.
I'm at the point of facing my own mortality every time I say or think "This is the last one of these I'll buy or this is the last time I'll do this".
This morning, I finally made the decision on names for my two puppies. Chose to name them after two of my long gone Uncles and saying to myself "These will be the last dogs I'll need".
I've been walking away from accidents that should/could have killed me for 50 years but can't avoid Father time.
 
I tell my wife the same-this is the last gun I'm buying. However that Rossi SS357 for less than $400 is tempting me. Of course I'll be getting that Geforce LVR410 today too. I just have no restraint.
 
Amen. I sometimes forget just how blessed I am. I don't think is a bad thing to have to stop every now and then to remember how good life really is.
I don't let rain stop my motorcycle travels often. Every once in a while someone will say something about me being wet when I pull in somewhere. My answer always is the same. I hope I get wet 10 thousand more times before I have to stop riding. So I will wish the same for you and the dogs. I hope yall have many more morning that you get to laugh about being caught in the rain.
 
Good for you Vito. Too many people are constantly asking for things. I too am one of the grateful ones for what I have. Don't ask, just say thanks!
 
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