Discretion is the better part of valor when your single track turns into a shortcut to heaven (or the other place). Dismounting is an integral part of mountain biking, knowing when and where can be the difference between living to ride another day or taking a year off to heal.
Men really should get a big mirror—attach it to our ball caps, helmets, steering wheels, handlebars, kayaks, surfboards…hang gliders (the list is endless)—to remind us that there is far more sand piled up at the bottom of our hour glass than on top. In short, Men need to be reminded of their age.
Looking from the inside out through our "baby blues?" well, we tend to forget that several decades have elapsed, that our children are grown and have children of their own, that we are no longer Ed or Joe or Mark, we are "Grandpa." External world hazards appear much the same as they did 50 years ago, so we assume nothing has changed, "Dad! Dad! Daaaaad!!! Watch this!!!" I'll never forget the weird shape of my arm shortly after uttering those words, how it made me so sick to my stomach I passed out... woke up in the Doctor's office to the excruciating pain of him trying to realign my forearm bones.
You see, Males seldom learn from mistakes. We are slow to take "credit" for situations that land us in Emergency Rooms. We blame it on brakes, the other guy, wet pavement, stupid deer; it's never our fault, "Speed had nothing to do with it!!!"
Yep, we need a mirror that reflects our ugly wrinkled mug right back into our baby blues…something to blow the dust off our common sense buttons, maybe even squirt a little WD 40 on em to free up the rust that forms from lack of use. Or better yet, mount a picture of ourselves taken right after we get out of bed. "Who is that old man?" Yes, we need to rein in our Maleness just a little, so we can better enjoy those highly overrated, but better than the grave alternative, "Golden Years."
Always a difficult one this, because in our minds we havent aged although the joints may be wearing and seizing up a bit. Hopefully, but not always, we have acquired a bit of sense to go with the years.
ReplyDeleteLove the text!! Every single word is spot on. Extremely well said. Dave is so right too. Since our minds haven't aged, it is hard to accept that the body has and it seems pretty shocking, at least to me, when it refuses to do what I'm expecting..
ReplyDeleteNice post, ole blue eyes. ;-) One of my favorite Jimmy Buffett quotes comes to mind here. "I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead!"
ReplyDeleteI'm just finishing up the roof portion of our motorhome solar project. You would think that just climbing up the rig-mounted ladder would be a piece of cake. I actually ache after each ascent and descent. But I'm sure I won't be in any pain hiking or biking in Zion. Jeesh!!! :(
ReplyDeletePerfectly written! So true:)
ReplyDeleteI think that goes along with, "oh my aching back. I used to be able to lift that 5th-wheel hitch out by myself." Now where did I put those pain killers.
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