June 1st, 2015: Getting Around

     Each time we make the trip down to visit my family and friends down in Houston, it gets a little bit harder to do. I remember one of the first trips I made from Houston to Louisville taking only thirteen hours, but I have never been able to duplicate that feat since. I know I was traveling alone, and I do things to cut my travel time that I would never put anyone else through, but I still can't see me cutting three hours off of that trip.
     Traveling with wife or anyone else (son, daughter, friend), I am very aware of their comfort, so stopping multiple times for rest or a bathroom break is just part of the program. I tended to combine food, gas, and restroom all in the same stop, but even for me, it is getting to be impossible to accomplish that now. My back or stomach simply won't allow me to push the limits of endurance that I once was able to tolerate. Although my focus is still on the goal, which is to get from point A to point B safely and quickly, but there is a huge difference between the speed a rabbit moves and the speed a turtle does. I am not the rabbit anymore.
     Such is the way of life as well. Many things that I did routinely and well now take much longer than the past, if I can even perform the task at all. Some years back, I had to recognize that my body was no longer conducive to dribbling down the basketball court for that hard fought layup. If it involves more than a standing jump shot, it's better to pass the ball on to someone else for the score.
     It causes you to refocus your life on things that you still do well, and apply extra effort to excel in those directions. We should never dismiss the seniors in our society, because if we will simply take the time to ask the right questions, we can learn a wealth of information that has taken a lifetime to glean. I sometimes regret not spending more time with my grandparents when they were alive learning more about their lives and our heritage.
     Keep digging, no matter what your age. My dad says that he just keeps putting one foot in front of the other. There's not really much point in fretting about getting older; it's going to happen anyway, so make the most of what you have every day and the future will be there when you get to it.