How Are Ya?

This week, your MOAM has another birthday coming up. Another Time Marker,

I'm not  going to tell you how old I am.... Let's just say that it is getting less and less of a shock to me that I have hit the sixties.

When I was a kid, and my Grandfather, Delbert Crosby, was sixty three, I thought that he was wicked old.   Now... not so much.

In some ways, I don't feel too old.  Still have my sense of humor and business competitiveness.  I like to think that my mind is pretty contemporary.  I'd like to retire, but I like working at my business, Nanepashemet Project Management as well, so that's a wash.

But I can't throw, run, or shoot a basketball.  Would not lace up a pair of skates if you paid me, and am not an enthusiast about skiing unless it's with the Grandkids. Golf and Tennis????  Nope and I don't think so.   Biking is ok because it is easy on the joints and still gives you a little speed rush.  And I like to lift weights if my back is up to it.

I feel that my one time strength is still there...old man strength they call it.  If I got the first punch in or so, you still might be in trouble if we got in a scuffle.   But I'd have a heart attack if things carried on a little too long.

Sex wise,... I'm not going there because my kids might read this,

I first started throwing my back out in my thirties and still lose it from time to time,  But now I see a chiropractor regularly and wear orthodics in my shoes, so this is semi under control

High Blood Pressure and Gout get managed with daily meds.... no biggie.

And I'm pretty used to the compressor and mask that I have to use every night to curb my case of severe sleep apnea.

All three kids are grown, married, relatively healthy and seem to be productively occupied in careers and perpetuating the race.  Happy about that too.  My mother is still alive in her late eighties and lives in Florida with my my brother, Jim.  Joanne is happy working with kids in Salem and seems to be healthy as well.  Her parents are old as dirt and still living in Lynn too.  So the genes are in place to get really elderly and be a burden to our kids in the next thirty years or so.

All in all, getting older doesn't feel that bad.

I can't take 100 mi. bike rides, like my friend, Christos Laganos who was in my first grade class with with me at the Highland Elementary Public School in Lynn, but I'm happy to see the progress that he has made in proving that such a vigorous life is possible at my age, For various reasons, I haven't pursued this intensive an activity.

I like to play my guitar and banjo at night after Joanne goes to bed, and feel that I am improving' although I would never ask her opinion and doubt that she would cut me any slack.  My interest in boatbuilding and woodworking is always under the surface.  Lately, an interest in solar energy and aquaponics has kept my attention as well.

Love my cat, Henry, my grandsons Will, Ethan and Connor, and the highlight of every day is checking with Joanne to see if she has heard from the kids.   No matter how old they are, you think and worry as a parent every day.  I'm grateful that Ryan, Katelyn and Michael have all found spouses that I love like my own kids.

I've gotten much more attentive politically and can't stand circumstances where people in this society do not take responsibility for themselves and look to the government and community as some sort of safety net that they are entitled to.  I realize that some people need to be taken care of, but I also realize that Liberals like Hilary Clinton perpetuate this on order to gain power and control.  Politicians who manipulate and lie to the people are anathema to me.

My faith in God is formed though a combination of Roman Catholic culture and Eastern Mysticism and I believe in a Higher Power that guides our life and all of the mysteries of being alive.  I pray often,

More and more, as I get older, I could care less what other people think of me, as long as I feel that I am being honest with myself and fair with others.

All in all, the most important thing is to have few regrets when you die, which means that you tried to do the right thing and ventured forth in life.  From that standpoint, I am at peace with myself.

But there are still business deals to do, boats to build, and family occasions to savor, so I'm in no hurry to call it a day.

I appreciate the sentiment if I am wished a "Happy Birthday" this week.... and if you ask "How are Ya?"  ..... Now you know,