A Look at 66

In this episode (166) - A Look at 66 . . .

Can you believe it's the middle of August already? School is just around the corner, and summer is coming to an end; this year, the 2022 Sierra adventure is in September. And - this week, I'm looking at 66. You're thinking, well, as another year slips by, we're wiser, stronger, pondering retirement, and developing a plan to stay active. The fleeting reality of time.

However, staying active when you retire is not just turning on a switch. An active lifestyle depends on foundational health habits built over many years to transport yourself physically into the future. My exercise program has always included bicycling, hiking, stretching, and daily walks to keep myself fit. But we're all destined to face that reality - as you age, you cannot do what you did as little as five years ago.

For example, reading old blog posts, I realized my last Sierra wilderness backpack trip was five years ago.

How is that possible?

In hindsight, I'm thankful I've diligently documented my adventures. On the Fly provides a glimpse through the "time portal" to events and activities that have filled my life with adventure, friendship, love, and immense joy! Oh, by the way, if you enjoyed last week's podcast - A Bear Sighting, for more, search my blog for Sierra Reflections.

Why five years ago? Well, just short of making excuses, when you reach the north side of 60, it's easy to land unexpectedly on the injured list. In 2021 I overextended my knee and spent the summer in pain, limping around the house; going to the Sierras was out of the question.

Rehabilitation took about eight months. I replaced my running shoes, fitted them with custom insoles, and cut back on my walking distance. Recovery at this age is a slow process. Just when I thought, great, my knee is back to normal - loading bicycles in the bed of our truck, I injured my rotator cuff.

Oh, brother, what's next?

So, I went to the chiropractor to check my posture and balance. Yes, I was a mess, completely out of balance.

Then to the doctor for a complete physical.

"You're responding well to the medication; your cholesterol is down. Is there anything you want to bring up?"

"I did something to my shoulder, and I have this sharp pain when I lift my arm."

"Looks like you damaged your rotator cuff."

He instructed me, "Do you have a large rubber stretch band? Hold your arms about shoulder height, and slowly extend and release the band. Three sets of 15 should do it. These exercises will restore your shoulders' strength and help heal your rotator cuff."

My friends, you don't appreciate how much you take your health for granted until something disrupts it.

Why am I telling you all of this? To remind you and me to practice this fundamental truth from Zig Ziglar, "When you do the things you need to do when you need to do them, the day will come when you can do the things you want to do when you want to do them."

Time marches on - that's the reality. Don't let your age be your excuse for not challenging yourself daily to scale your mountain!

I'm Patrick Ball; thanks for listening. I'll see you in the next episode.

Comments

Epictetus, Ego, and Acronyms

In this episode, Destroy Communication, One Three-Letter Acronym at a Time This week, I want to explore a deeply relatable, universally feared workplace character: the "know-it-all." Now, I’m not pointing fingers here. If we are being completely honest, we have all played this role. We've all uttered some version of, "Yes, absolutely, that aligns with our strategic objectives," while our internal monologue is screaming, "I don't even know what the objective is, let alone the strategy." What got me thinking about this was a chapter in Ryan Holiday's book, Wisdom Takes Work . Holiday leans on a powerful piece of Stoic truth from the ancient philosopher Epictetus: "It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows." It's a brilliant quote that strikes right at the heart of the human ego. You can't learn what you already know, and you certainly can't learn what you pretend to know to save face. Though to be ...

Breaking the Script

In this episode, The Art of the Short-Circuit. We spend a surprising amount of our lives on conversational autopilot. You see it everywhere. At the hardware store. At the post office. In office hallways, where two people can exchange greetings, discuss the weather, and continue on their way without either one actually hearing what the other said. "How are you?” "Good. You?” “Busy." “Yep." It's less of a conversation and more of a system check. Most of us aren't being rude. We're just moving fast. We have emails to answer, meetings to attend, errands to run, and a hundred other things competing for our attention. Before long, our interactions become little more than verbal lane markers helping us navigate the day. I like to break the script. When I run into someone, instead of the usual greetings, I'll ask: "What's the good word?” The reaction is almost always worth it. You can practically see the gears stop turning. People pause. They blink....

The Yellow Legal Pad

In this episode, the Art of Refiring July 1st is staring me in the face, less than two weeks away. For years, retirement seemed like something that happened to other people. Suddenly, it's on my calendar. I've been thinking a lot about the dreaded "R-word" lately. Not because I'm worried about having enough to do. Quite the opposite. What fascinates me is this strange paradox: Why does retirement make so many of us nervous, while having a job—even one that regularly drives us crazy—somehow feels comforting? Let's be honest. Most of us spend years complaining about meetings that should have been emails, reply-all disasters, impossible deadlines, and that one coworker who insists on microwaving leftover fish in the breakroom. Yet when the idea of walking away finally arrives, we hesitate. I think I've figured out why. A career isn't just a job. It's a highly structured coping mechanism. For forty-plus years, somebody else has basically decided what I...

Truth for Sale

This episode is inspired by Elton John & Bernie Taupin On Memorial Day, I took my first bike ride since the accident , seeking proof that my legs, lungs, and nerves still remembered the road. The morning air carried that familiar Southern California mix of ocean haze, exhaust, eucalyptus, and sun-baked asphalt. My tires hummed across pavement I’ve ridden for years. Somewhere between the steady click of the chain and the rhythm of my breathing, Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s The Captain and the Kid found its way into my ears. There’s a strange kind of magic when the cadence of a ride syncs perfectly with a song you know by heart. Suddenly, the music and lyrics stop being background noise and become a lens. And through that lens, the road started talking. I've been cycling on this road some, Can't help feeling I've been showing my friends around. I've seen it grow from next to nothing, To a giant eatin’ up our town. Called up the tealeaves and the tarots, Asked the...

On The Fly

Search This Blog