I Guess We Just See Things Very Differently. Alabama unveiled a bronze statue of coach Nick Saban as part of their spring football game activities today. Saban's statue sits among a group of Alabama football coaches, including Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings. Auburn announced plans in the works for over a year to erect statues of their Heisman trophy winners: Pat Sullivan, Bo Jackson, and Cam Newton. They will also display a bust of John Heisman, for whom the trophy is named. Auburn is the only school where Heisman coached which has produced a Heisman trophy winner.

Florida also announced plans to display statues of their three Heisman winners: Steve Spurrier, Danny Weurffel, and Tim Tebow.

Some sports writers and fans of other schools, especially Alabama, have criticized Auburn University for erecting statues to players, and particularly to Cam Newton. Most of the critics don't seem to find any problem with statues to current and past coaches. This, to me, is just another example of how very differently people can see things.

I have always appreciated Auburn's approach of focusing on the players, rather than the coaches. At Auburn, our heroes in football are most often our players rather than our coaches. At Alabama, especially under coach Bryant and now under coach Saban, the focus is almost totally on the head coach. The assistant coaches and players rarely share the limelight. At Auburn, the assistant coaches and players speak often to the media and receive much of the attention. Trooper Taylor and Gus Malzahn may be more popular than Gene Chizik! No one doubts that Chizik is the man in charge, but he seems to feel quite secure in his position. He allows Trooper, Malzahn, Roof, and the other coaches to be far more prominent than is the case at most schools, and is in striking contrast to Alabama. I don't recall a single time when one of their assistant coaches was prominently shown and allowed to speak to the media.

In my view the players are the guys who pay the price on the field and perform at such a high level at game time to make it a thrilling and rewarding experience for everyone. While some head coaches try to have some "hands-on" experience, most of their time is spent performing in the role of figurehead and representative for the entire program. I appreciate the importance of that role (and it is well-rewarded), but still believe we should honor the players who reach the very top, as exemplified by the Heisman Trophy--presented to the most outstanding football player in the United States.

Auburn has had three such individuals, and their exploits in football are indeed legendary. They each earned their place in Auburn history. While Cam Newton was at Auburn for only one year, he managed to produce what many have described as "the most outstanding single season in college football history." He earned his statue as much as Bo or Pat did, and all three are very deserving of this honor.

It should be pointed out that Auburn has honored coach Jordan by naming the stadium Jordan-Hare stadium, and coach Dye by naming the field Pat Dye field. I hope at some point we will see fit to honor coach Tuberville for his excellent ten years as head coach, and when coach Chizik completes his career here I am sure he will also be appropriately honored.

As I stated at the beginning of this discussion, I guess it is just all in how we look at things. My view, and one I believe is shared by most Auburn fans, is that the program is mostly about the players, so why not honor them as well. I would also be willing to bet the players would agree with this view!

Some Thoughts on the Importance of Bible Study and Prayer

I have just finished reading through the New Testament and had some thoughts I have to share. I was struck—partly because I just finished reading the Revelation to John—by the great number of warnings about our being deceived and the severe warnings about such deceit and its consequences. God’s written word is very clear. We will face many forms of trickery and deceit as we walk our daily Christian walk. Satan is alive and well on planet Earth. I also think we may be more vulnerable to this deception now than at most other times in our history. We are “fat, dumb, and happy” with little need for God. However we express it, we are certainly vulnerable. We find it very easy to keep God out of our lives except in a rather superficial form. We attend church, lead a fairly decent life, and feel fine with our relationship with Him. Is that really the walk God has called us to? I don’t think the Bible gives us that impression at all. I think we have chosen that lifestyle and have it regularly reinforced by our Christian brothers and sisters, and even church leaders. We all just want to get along.

I find myself wanting to be very tolerant of all things and all people. Tolerance is a usually a good quality. Intolerance has led to many wrongs, and religious intolerance, especially Muslim extremism, is the source of much of our turmoil in the world today. However, being tolerant of sin, my own sin or others, is not really a good idea, and we have become very tolerant of most all sins. We rarely call anything a sin. We have many euphemisms to make everything sound much better than it really is. We say someone has “strayed” when they really have committed adultery, which is an awful sin before God. We seemingly have a thousand euphemisms for lying. For example “being disingenuous”, “misleading”, “not being forthcoming”, etc. are all forms of lying, and the Bible says clearly that God hates a lying tongue; liars will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

We are warned to be vigilant and on guard. The deceit is often described as some form of religious deceit. We are warned of charismatic leaders who will arise and do miraculous-appearing things, seeming to be God-like. They will appear to be followers of God, but will lead the unsuspecting astray. We can see some forms of that in today’s religious world. There is no question that many in the world are very anti-religious and anti-Christian. It is definitely not cool to be a committed Christian in the eyes of the world. We can be tempted to hide our faith, rather than openly express it. The Bible gives lots of different descriptions of the deceit we may encounter. We are warned to be on guard at all times.

Bottom line: We need to be serious students of the Word! I am convinced that if we commune with God regularly by reading (studying!) the Word and praying diligently we will be far more likely to escape the lure and trickery of Satan. That is my challenge to myself, and to each of you. Be students of the Word and prayer warriors. God is good! He will keep us safe if we truly seek to follow Him each day. It is my earnest prayer that we will each seek to follow Him every day of our lives.

An Interesting Mental Exercise--try it out!

The rule is, however, you must actually TRY to think the thoughts suggested below. TRY to believe they are true for that person, and then THINK about how you would see or think about the person in each case. O.K. ?

Here goes. I recently received the following thought-provoking email.

What if the presidential candidates lives were reversed? What if John McCain were a former president of the Harvard Law Review? What if Barack Obama finished fifth from the bottom of his graduating class?

(REMEMBER: We are just reversing the data on each person and asking you to TRY to re-think based on that information.)

What if McCain were still married to the first woman he said "I do" to? What if Obama were the candidate who left his first wife after she no longer measured up to his standards, and married the wealthy heiress of a beer distributorship?




What if Michelle Obama were a wife who not only became addicted to pain killers, but acquired them illegally through her charitable organization? What if Cindy McCain graduated from Harvard?




What if Obama were a member of the infamous Keating Five? What if McCain were a charismatic, eloquent speaker?




If the above questions reflected reality, do you really believe the election numbers would be as close as they are? This is what racism does. It covers up, rationalizes and minimizes positive qualities in one candidate and emphasizes negative qualities in another when there is a color difference.


Another way to look at this issue:



Assume you are The Boss. which team would you hire? With America facing historic debt, two wars, stumbling health care, a crumbling economy, all-time high prison population, mortgage crises, bank foreclosures, etc.


Educational background of the two teams:


Obama: Columbia University - B.A. Political Science with a Specialization in International Relations.
Harvard - Juris Doctor (J.D.) Magna Cum Laude

Biden: University of Delaware - B.A in History and B.A. in Political Science.
Syracuse University College of Law - Juris Doctor (J.D.)


versus:


McCain: United States Naval Academy - Class rank: 894 of 899

Palin: Hawaii Pacific University - 1 semester, North Idaho College - 2 semesters - general study, University of Idaho - 2 semesters - journalism, Matanuska-Susitna College - 1 semester, University of Idaho - 3 semesters - B.A. in Journalism.

Now, which team are you going to hire?

PS: What if Barack Obama had an unwed, pregnant teenage daughter...


My Comments:

I think any fair-minded person would concede that if these facts were reversed, most people would think VERY differently about the two candidates. Don't we need to try to consider the two candidates from a rational and reasoned basis, rather than from an emotional, or even worse, ideological, basis? Who is best suited to lead this nation for the next four to eight years? That is the bottom-line question.



To assist that decision of which of these two men can best lead us, one would think the two candidates and their campaigns would be offering their thoughts and plans for how to deal with the great issues our nation faces so that we could make a sound rational decision. Instead, we are being bombarded, especially in the contested states, by charges that Obama is a Muslim, a friend of terrorists, and many other scurrilous charges, especially over the internet. These wild charges at campaign rallies have led some in the audiences to respond with violent reactions and language.

McCain, to his credit, seems to have tried to correct some of those things said back directly to him. For example, when one woman referred to Obama as a Muslim, McCain corrected her and said Obama was not a Muslim and was a fine person who just had different views on how to run our country.

However, Palin's speeches have been filled with these charges and she has apparently not corrected anyone in her audiences. I fear the wild charges against Obama will lead someone or some group to decide to act violently toward Obama. That possibility certainly exists. We can only hope cooler heads will prevail, and that the McCain campaign will tamp down that type of rhetoric. The McCain campaign has said publicly that if they keep talking about the economy, they will lose. It appears they feel that going more and more negative is their only hope. One can only hope the American people will reject that thinking, and will not respond violently to the wild charges against Obama.

Whither one's career...?



I have always seemed to have way too many, and very diverse, interests for my own good. (Or just lack of focus, some would say). At any rate, I have always had difficulty staying focused on one goal and following one path to that goal. I admire those strange folks who knew, even in grade school "what they wanted to do when they grew up." I still don't know! Because so many college students, even seniors, come to their faculty advisors with the "I don't know what I want to do, and/or what I want to major in" question, one colleague had a quote framed in his office from Peter Drucker, a well-known Management authority as follows: "I'm fifty-seven, and I still don't know what I want to do!" I doubt it helped anyone, but I liked it because it was my lament as well.





When I was in high school, I sometimes thought I wanted to be a pilot, and considered the military academies as a possible route to a college degree. I also thought about engineering primarily because I heard that paid well and felt I could be successful in that field of study. When a football scholarship came along, I gave more thought to a career as a high school coach. I loved football, and felt I would be successful as a coach. However, the football career did not pan out, and it is difficult to be successful as a coach if you did not play the sport in college.







I volunteered for the draft and entered the Army to get the GI Bill's financial support for college. I still didn't know what i wanted to major in, but I knew I wanted a college degree to make a decent living. The thought that I should find the one job I would love to do simply did not enter the equation in my thinking about a career. I did not know anyone who truly loved their job. I thought you should work your job in order to enjoy life outside work. The more money you made, the more options you had to enjoy life outside work. Simple, I know, but there you are.





I selected engineering as my college major because it paid well, and selected Industrial Engineering because it was more general--and friends Herschel and Max were already majoring in it and recommended it. I took a minor in Metallurgical engineering so that I could get a scholarship they had available, and found I really liked that field. I had accepted an offer for a job in Birmingham in that field when a downturn in the economy caused the company to rescind the offer. I then went to Huntsville, took a job in project coordination with Brown Engineering, and went to work the same day, in the same office, as their new secretary hire, a gorgeous young woman named Marion "PeeWee" Harrison! I have never viewed that as simply good luck. It was definitely Providential. Making a career choice may have been random at times, but a mate choice was made for me.




I never really wanted to work as an Industrial Engineer, and never have. I used the I.E. degree to get a job in project management and that is really the field I worked in primarily. At Brown, I moved from a project coordination role to a project management role and then to head of an engineering department of over one hundred employees. I am sure I would have done well with advancement at Brown, but I already had an itch for something different. (There has been an almost permanent itch, actually!)



I also wanted to teach, and felt that college was the level I would like best, so I began working in that direction when Max and I went to Georgia Tech for a masters degree. I knew that I would need a doctorate to teach at the college level, and was delighted, after joining NASA/MSFC, to learn that they had supported several people in their doctoral studies. Max led the way in both these endeavors, but they were falling into place nicely with my vague long-term plans. I am grateful I was able to prepare for a teaching career while still supporting my growing family.



Even though I took the college teaching route and loved it, I still had a moment of pause sometime later. Shortly after my leaving Huntsville, my friend Herschel started up a new company, Dynetics, Inc. I am sure that, had I been in Huntsville at the time, I would probably have joined him in that endeavor. That would have probably been financially very rewarding (he is a multi-millionaire), but I don't think I would have liked that career path in any other way, so there is no real regret.



I had several opportunities to move into academic administration at various times in my academic career. I served as department head on two different occasions, and as dean for one year, but found all those experiences unfulfilling for various reasons. I sometimes think I should have followed that path more consistently, as there are higher-level jobs that might have been much more satisfying (VP and Prez). However, there is an obligatory apprenticeship, or progression, that I simply did not want to pursue.




I also found a teaching career allowed me the freedom of schedule that most jobs would not. I could remain involved with my family, especially my children, much more than I might have with other more time-demanding jobs. That was important to me. College teaching also allowed the opportunity to teach in Europe for a year, which may have been my most enjoyable teaching year! I also taught a couple of summers later in Europe. All in all I have no regrets about my career choices, and have been quite satisfied.



Now I am finally in full retirement, and must confess I sometimes have an itch! If there were good overseas teaching opportunities still, I might be tempted to go again--especially for a semester. I have even toyed with the idea of a visiting professorship in some other part of the country--Vermont for the fall season, for example. Then rush home before we were snow-bound for the winter! Or somewhere out west--I know, the romanticized West--not the real one. I would probably find my illusions shattered in the real one.



Of course, having grandchildren changes everything. I don't know if I could really go anywhere that might mean we would not see them for any extended period. They change so quickly! And with each new change or stage, they are so delightful in their responses and behavior and then ours, as well as their parents and uncles, reactions are also fun. So, most likely, I have finished my working career life and my new career is grandparenting. Maybe the best one yet!

Why must America allow gross ugliness in the name of "free enterprise"?


Blogs shouldn't just be places where we can blow off steam about our pet peeves, but...doggone it, I have to blow off some steam about one of mine.



My wife and I just returned from a vacation to southern England and I was struck once again by the contrast between almost any other developed country and ours in terms of the appreciation for aesthetics. As we drove along the motorways in England we saw lovely farms, gorgeous landscapes, just natural beauty all around. It was breath-taking at times. Then it dawned on me. I was NOT seeing any billboards or other ugly signs, no abandoned automobiles or farm equipment rusting away, no litter at all. As we entered cities, towns, and villages, we saw enchanting views at every turn. Attractive storefronts, many flower baskets hanging on lamp posts and on building window sills, well-maintained landscaping, etc. No ugly signs, only modest signs which clearly pointed out places of business without overwhelming us. Parking was carefully controlled, so that although very crowded in many cases, there was order and not mayhem in the parking lots and on the streets.




None of those businesses seemed to be lacking in customers; business seemed to be thriving. Farming seemed to be doing well. All around things were working fine without all the clutter of ugliness we are bombarded with each day. That picture does not happen by accident. Those countries have laws regulating littering, signage, and most other issues and they strongly enforce those laws. We actually have anti-littering laws. Have you ever known anyone to be charged under those laws? I haven't. We seem to have punted on that point. We also have this mindset that we should never interfere with business. "What's good for General Motors is good for the USA!" was the famous saying of long ago. Well, is that true? Does giving business carte blanche to police themselves result in a better America? I don't think so. The only reason any business does not pollute more is the laws we have in place controlling pollution. There is not one shred of evidence that business will police itself. Their focus is the bottom line. Period. Yet we seem to want desperately to believe that they will, and many of our leaders act on that "wish".




On the motorways, there were no awful-looking wrecks still being driven with smoke pouring from the tailpipe, missing mufflers and other parts, etc. All autos must meet strict inspections to even be driven, and all drivers must be well-trained to even drive. It makes a wonderful difference! All those wrecks also have to be re-cycled; not left to rust on cinder blocks and littered around the yards of homes. I have never seen that littered ugly image in all my travels in Europe and elsewhere; just in the good ole USA. Why is that?!



This same issue is seen in how we dispose of trash and garbage. We have large and usually unsightly garbage and trash receptacles in public view and with little control of aesthetics. We do have modest recycling programs in most cities in this country, but it is voluntary in almost all cases, and as a result only a small minority of the population practice recycling. In many other countries, it is mandatory and everyone participates. The difference is immense in so many ways. Not only are there large monetary savings possible, but also environmental and aesthetic impacts are very significant. Some have made all this a political issue in this country, so that if one is concerned about their environment and aesthetics, they are branded a left-wing liberal "tree-hugger" and ridiculed. How pathetic is that!



Well, I realize this blog is only cathartic for me and will not change a thing. Nevertheless, I feel better for having vented. I know few will even read this, but I wanted to shout it out anyway! We as a nation deserve better. We simply don't have enough gumption to say ENOUGH to all the ugliness and insist on a better way. Maybe our children will care more--or their children. There does seem to be an awareness among the young that our environment is fragile and in danger. Maybe there is hope for the future. That is a positive thought to end on.

Recalling significant "firsts" from my early years











Our local radio personality and newspaper columnist Bob Sanders writes funny reflections of his growing up years in northwest Alabama. A recent column recalled all the "firsts" of his early years, such as his first train ride, his first movie show, his first hamburger and hotdog, etc. I was prompted to recall some of my firsts. Now I am not nearly as good on early recollections as some folks. My memory is just plain fuzzy about much of my childhood. However, I do recall a few firsts.






Some of my memories are easily recalled because they were so embarrassing. I recall my first hamburger for that reason. I should point out that we NEVER went out to a cafe or restaurant for food. That practice became common much later in my life. A small cafe near my home had the best-smelling hamburgers in the world--well, in my small world, at least. I remember going there after somehow accumulating the necessary money for a hamburger and coke. (Note: in my world, ALL soft drinks were called coke. That was the generic term. Coca-Cola (pronounced co-coler) was the specific, but there was also RC, Grapico, etc.) The waitress asked what I wanted and I said " a hamburger and a coke". She then said "all the way?" I stared blankly, so she said again "all the way?" I continued to stare blankly, I suppose, or maybe said "huh" as I had no idea what she meant. Finally, the cook said "do you want onions, pickles, lettuce and tomato?" I said "O.K., I guess". I was very embarrassed to be so ignorant, but the hamburger was wonderful. After that, I always ordered a hamburger--all the way. Hamburgers have remained a favorite of mine. I plan to cook one for our supper tonight!







Gaither Driver's cafe was downtown. I remember going there a few times as a teenager for a hamburger. The aroma may have been even better as his cafe was bigger and much busier. It was sort of a hangout for all sorts of folks. I remember one of my buddies, Tubby, asking my future sister-in-law, Shelby, if she worked as a waitress at Gaither's. She very indignantly answered no! Tubby knew she had a familiar face and was just trying to place her, but he made the wrong guess. Some of the girls who worked at Gaithers were probably not the "take home to momma" type.






I remember several other firsts, some of which I have chronicled in an earlier writing, such as my first hunting kill, my first drive in a car, and my first sweetheart. My first real big snow was a doozie. It set some records for snow in north Alabama and was quite a sight for a six year old. I don't know the exact depth, but it was enough to halt everything for a town with NO snow removal capability. We played in it, and ate snow ice cream, and then hoped it would finally melt.








My first time to eat pizza came later in life as a grown-up. I don't believe I had ever eaten pizza until I went into the Army (1953-1955). I did not know of a pizza place anywhere in the South of my time. The cooks prepared pizza for some special occasion while I was at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, and the Northern soldiers explained to the Southern soldiers just what this strange looking stuff was! I don't think pizza became very common in the South until much later. There was only one place I can recall that served pizza when I moved to Huntsville in 1959. I do remember that I liked it, but that may have been because it was such a novelty.






Of course, the military introduces you to many things for the first time. There is the famous "creamed beef on toast." The GIs lovingly refer to it as "s--t on a shingle!" My cousin Wayne Ledbetter said it was common in the Navy as well, so I am sure it was common in all armed services. I actually loved it, and usually ate mine and someone else's each time it was served. I guess that says something about my growing-up years and our diet. I learned to eat what we had and appreciate it. I thought the military mess was very good food, but most guys grumbled a lot about the food.









I remember my first train ride with far less joy than Bob Sanders recalled his. I had been working in Detroit, and was on my way home to enter the Army. The guy I was driving home with attempted to pass a big semi just as the semi decided to turn without bothering to signal. We had a very bad collision and I was truly hurting all over. His car was totaled, so we caught a train in Cincinnati and rode to Attalla, Alabama. That was a long and painful journey. I hurt with every shake and rattle of the train and it shook and rattled the entire time.







My first attempt at chewing tobacco was also memorable. It is amazing to reflect back on the use of tobacco in my childhood. Practically everyone either smoked, dipped, or chewed tobacco. My dad chewed Brown Mule tobacco. I cannot imagine how the advertising people thought that was a good name for a product, but I am fairly certain my memory is correct. Anyway, I took a plug of his tobacco out in the woods, sat down under a big tree in my favorite spot, took a big "chaw" and began to chew away. Of course, some--probably a lot--of the juice managed to be swallowed, although I was spitting like crazy. I became sick very quickly, and started for home. By the time I got there, I was really sick. My mom saw me coming, saw my wobbly gait, and my (probably green) face, and she became very alarmed. She asked what happened, and I think I was able to tell her--not sure. I was not punished for that little episode. They rightly decided the tobacco had taken care of that! I never tried that again until I was bored once in the Army, and got about the same result. I have wondered over the years how anyone develops the habit of chewing tobacco, as they must get by that first few times of being really, really, sick.






I remember a first of eating at a very fancy restaurant. I had eaten at one or two fairly nice restaurants, but not with all the focus on the fancy. Days after ending my military service, and while waiting to enter college in the fall term, a friend talked me into selling "waterless"cookware. One of my bad decisions. We sold only to single girls, and it was just very over-priced and over-sold (I worked from a script in my sales pitch!) I only did it a short time, and while quite successful, it simply violated my view of right and wrong, so I quit. However, at the beginning, they took us to Birmingham to a sales meeting and really put on the dog. I had bought a new suit for the occasion. We were in a fine restaurant with white linens and white gloved waiters, etc. I remember being served a shrimp cocktail with the little fork and lemon slice attached. I just wasn't quite sure how I should eat those suckers! I felt like the Julia Roberts' character in "Pretty Woman". There were other dishes with similar "problems" for the uninitiated. I was very out of place there! I remember a very nice lady sitting nearby saw my discomfort and tried to offer help, somewhat like the Ralph Bellamy (older fellow) character offered Julia, but that only added to my embarrassment. Like I said, some of my memories of firsts have to do with the embarrassment I remember.







I don't believe we ever really had a steak, as sold in restaurants, in my early years. Beef was not commonly eaten at home, although we had ground beef or (the cheap pulverized steak--can't recall name) occasionally. Bob Sanders recalled a first of having meat loaf when he visited an aunt in Birmingham. I do recall Mom cooking meat loaf on occasion. My first recollection of having a real steak in a restaurant was at a football function while in high school, and I seem to remember it only because Neal Reed got some steak caught in his teeth and was trying to pry it out with his fork. That is a hard trick to pull off inconspicuously. We were all laughing at him, but it was driving him nuts, and the harder he worked at it, while trying to be somewhat discreet, the funnier it got. So much for my first steak. My first really memorable steak was in Atlanta on a football recruiting trip paid for by the Georgia Bulldogs. I have described that trip in an earlier writing. We didn't know how to order a steak, but had seen someone order it "rare" in a movie, so we ate our first nearly raw meat ever. Mom, and most moms in the South, cooked one way for all meat--very well done.







I have no recollection of my first movie, although we saw few in those early years. I have described my "novel" way of gaining entrance to the theatre and seeing movies with Bobby Burgess in an earlier writing. I do remember my first TV show. It was a pro football game and I was already out of high school. The image was very snowy as the signal was received by "rabbit ears" on the set. Neither we nor any of our friends owned a TV during my high school days. We listened to the radio a lot for music and sports events.

I remember my first dog well, and talked about him in my earlier writing. His life ended tragically, and I had blocked out much of that memory. I couldn't think of his name, but think now it may have been Buddy. That is not a first I like to recall. Kids get very attached to pets, and it is unfortunate that the pets are usually pretty vulnerable to illnesses and accidental deaths. That was especially true back then.







Well, my recollections of early firsts is not as interesting as I found Bob Sanders' list to be. Sorry! He has a remarkable memory, and noted lots of events in his early life. I have vague recollections of that period. It is interesting to recall how things have changed so much over my lifetime. I am sure that will be true for my children as well. Take good notes!

The process of aging, or, as time flies by!








I find the process of aging to be quite interesting, and even amusing at times. I don't think I noticed aging at all until I was well into middle age. Then, the results of aging become inescapable and very noticeable. I could no longer see as well, play as well, concentrate as well, sleep as well, etc. Really, I could not do anything as well! That is a shock, but it only gets worse with age, so you learn to adapt. Glasses help, but do not solve the probem of seeing well. Actually, none of the "fixes" get us back where we were; only better than without the "fix".





There are lots of fixes available today. Knee and hip joint replacement is among several fixes my friends have tried, and most with pleasing results. The joints simply wear out, and the pain reaches a point that joint replacement is a great relief. There was a time when the heart wore out and we just died. Now we have valve replacement, bypass surgery, and other techniques for the heart and other vital organs that extend life expectancy much farther than it was just a few years ago.





Of course, quality of life issues arise as we extend life expectancy. No one wants to simply live longer. We want to live a good quality of life for a longer period. Therein lies the rub, as they say. Marion and I visited several elderly friends at the nursing home recently, and as we were leaving we both agreed that a quick heart attack would be a blessing when we got that old!






It is interesting to reflect on get-togethers with friends today as opposed to a few years ago. We used to talk about what was going on in the world. Now we spend a lot of time talking about what is going on with us. Whereas before we rarely mentioned our little aches and pains, but rather were focused mostly on things external to ourselves; now we talk a lot about our various ailments; the symptoms and attempted cures, or the planned surgeries and already completed surgeries. Some are very conversant in medical language and terminology, exotic technical terms, the many and varied drugs, and of course, all the inside information on all of them. I did not learn much biology in school, and know very little today. Perhaps that is a blessing. Ignorance is bliss in this case. I know so little I don't worry much at all about medical matters.




All of this "aging thing" is really quite comical to me--at times. When we travel any distance and make a rest stop (read pee break. That, too, is one of the issues--many stops!) and I get out of the car, I can hardly walk, and cannot stand fully erect. I waddle along with an arched back like Tim Conway did long ago on the Carol Burnett show! At the time, I thought he was hilarious. I had no idea he was mocking me in a future time. I suppose it is just part of the aging process. I remember, as a child, overhearing my mother talk with her friends about their various ailments, and I found it amusing. Now I find it amusing in myself! Life is really a cycle that repeats itself with each generation. Get ready, you young folks!







I have tried to resist these trends, of course. Perhaps not nearly as hard as I should resist, however, as it seems to have had little effect. We are each on a path that moves relentlessly to its conclusion. It seems no amount of resisting really make much difference. A friend gave us a framed "saying" that has a lot of truth in it, "Old Age is Not for Sissies!" One of my dear friends, who I played football with in high school and briefly in college, had to miss our last high school class reunion. He played a full four years of college football, and his knees reflect the wear and tear. He had recently undergone hernia surgery as well as knee replacement surgery. He was further handicapped by his other knee, which was extremely painful, and he is awaiting surgery to replace it. He simply could not handle the travel and walking required to attend our reunion. We had a significant number of our surviving classsmates who could not attend the reunion for health reasons. Such is old age.







I am starting to sound morose. I will try to shift gears. I said growing old was amusing at times. Most of the jokes we tell at our get-togethers are around the subject of aging, and its effects. Some are hilarious, and we laugh harder at them than most other people probably would, as they ring so true for us! When we were planning our upcoming reunion, and deciding to meet more frequently, one classmate was pressing the point of urgency as classmates were dying at an increasing rate. He said "hey, at our age, we shouldn't even buy green bananas!" Well, it's not quite that bad, but we did decide to meet every year. We can see the writing on the wall. My son-in-law's dad sent me a very funny video today. It is a guy singing a song about memory loss and its impact on our lives. We laugh because the situations he describes are common to us all.

Of course aging has it's positive side as well. We no longer sweat the small things nearly as much. We get more philosophical with age, and simply realize that swatting at windmills is futile. That helps us survive political seasons, economic cycles, and even bad football seasons. Bad politicians come and go, their bad policies are soon replaced with other bad policies, all sports teams move in cycles, so we enjoy the upside--six in a row!--and roll with the down side. The economy runs in cycles and we are now heading toward ( or into) a downturn, but we know (well, expect, at least) it will eventually become an upturn, so just hang in there. Bottom line: As someone wisely observed about the aging process, it generally beats the alternative!

I should close by noting that the Good Lord knew aging would be tough, so he gave us grandchildren as a balm and comfort to ease the pain. Nothing can ease the pain of aching joints like getting on the floor and playing with a grandbaby. Nothing can rejuvenate a tired spirit so well as the sweet smile and soft voice of someone saying "I love you, PawPaw!"