I ran into an old colleague the other day. (Well not literally. That would have hurt.)
I hadn’t seen him in years. We worked together in the 70s and 80’s. I asked him how he was doing and he sighed and said, “Oh, hanging in there.” He looked tired and didn’t look like my strong, young friend that I remember. He used to be a runner and we played softball together. Of course, that was 40 or more years ago.
I was reflecting on that the other day when I thought, not for the first time, “Life’s not fair!”
Now the logical side of me knows that it is what it is. You make your own happiness, and it’s not so much what happens to you but how you react to it. I’ve read the books and seen the memes. That doesn’t stop me from having the occasional day where I revert back to… “It’s not fair!” (Delivered in true 2-year old fashion.)
What I mean in this instance is… I have many friends or acquaintances who worked hard all their life, raised a family or worked a job or career. Then when they finally get to a point where they should be enjoying life their health or body won’t let them.
I realize that everyone’s health is different and I don’t even know for a fact that my old friend has anything wrong with him. I really didn’t think I should ask, “So what’s wrong with ya?” He didn’t volunteer any info so I didn’t ask. I just got that vibe.
In some cases we might have done the damage to ourselves through smoking, drugs, alcohol, not eating wisely or not exercising. Many of us just inherited our “issues.” It can be frustrating at times.
I often joke that if I do make it to heaven I have a list of questions for the big guy. Why do some children have to suffer? Why did we have cancer? Why did the ‘78 Red Sox have to lose? And why is it that when we finally have time to enjoy ourselves we have trouble just functioning?
Of course, if you’re a conspiracy theorist you may think there is already a cure for cancer, obesity and a list of other problems but Big Pharma, or whoever, doesn’t want you to know. I saw one this week that said there is a cure for obesity but those diet companies (and others) make so much money with their different programs and supplements that they will never allow the news to get out. I’ve read stories from people who say there’s a cure for cancer but there’s so much money in cancer treatment that they will never publish it. I certainly hope this is not true.
Oh, we also never went to the moon and 9/11 was an inside job. Yeah I spend too much time online.
Even without disease we all face getting older. I read a piece from the Mayo Clinic that said, “With age, bones tend to shrink in size and density, weakening them and making them more susceptible to fracture. Muscles generally lose strength, endurance and flexibility — factors that can affect your coordination, stability and balance.” Great! (Said in a sarcastic voice.)
There are some things we can do. The article suggests that we get the right amounts of calcium, the proper amount of vitamin D, include some physical exercise and avoid substance abuse. And that’s just for your bones and muscles.
Did you ever see that movie “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?”
Brad Pitt starred as a man who is born an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Interesting concept as you get younger as the years go by and you have your health later in life. Of course, you eventually become a baby where you need to be cared for constantly but, some might say, you need to be cared for at the end of life now so it all ends up the same. I remember walking out of that movie thinking …. Hmmm. That would be interesting. You could retire and do everything you did when you were nine or ten!
Back to the logical side of my brain…. It is what it is and we need to accept it I guess. Take care of yourself and keep moving forward as much as you can. I think any exercise is better than no exercise. I also firmly believe that we have to keep learning. Challenge yourself to learn new things or play some games that challenge your brain.
I’m also a big believer in what some think is a silly phrase: Use it or lose it. I really think you can apply it to any part of life. Physical, mental or spiritual.
I better get busy.
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