Memorable Automobiles from The Past:
For today:
A day before we left our NC Base, I
was in the basement. I caught myself as I simply stared up at the 2x8 floor joists; set exactly 16 inches on center with the spaces filled with Insulation.
I just sat
down in one of the chairs and continued to look up, thinking. I am positive that
every house Darnell’s Construction built, I drove some nails and lifted walls.
I lifted and set many of these joists just a few years ago in ’94-95. I could
lift and place a 14 foot 2x8 and then walk those naked joists (and the rafters
above) like they were a solid floor; never a thought of falling.
I sat and actually used my
fingers to figure that was probably about 20 years ago. Close to the age my
sons are now. I wasn’t strong as an ox, but I matched most carpenters, younger or
older, in work output.
Now I can’t
lift a heavy board without help. AGE
still baffles me. Mental and physical AGE is impossible to understand. I am
convinced that if a brain doesn’t become demented, it doesn’t age as our skin
does. If it is fed the correct nutrients it just keeps on going. So if you are not
careful as you age, you will try to do something physically that you have done for years and
HURT the body. (Lift something heavy or do a cartwheel)
There must be a small part of this
brain God made, that tries to tell the rest of the brain, “We cannot drive this body like we used to, the ‘joints/shocks’ might be wearing out.”
So I am sorta like an old car in
which the engine has been well taken care of and given the right amount of cleaning
and oiling. If treated correctly the simple old engine will run forever it seems.
BUT the suspension, switches, belts, filters, tires, shocks, headlights, drive-shafts,
body parts etc will begin to show age, break, rust and wear out.
The engine
doesn’t know, it just starts and purrs. The headlights could burn out, the
wipers stop, a universal joint or transmission go out. The Engine doesn’t know it, it just
keeps on purring but the car doesn't move well.
I sat and thought all this in a few
minutes. I then asked my brain don’t you get tired thinking all this stuff? All
I heard back was, "NO! Now what else you got on the list? Let’s get to it, you are sitting here doing NOTHING!”
I don’t feel old, but I am
TRYING to keep in mind, I am getting there.
PS:
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7 comments:
My word, I can SO identify with everything you've written. Yesterday my son invited me to check out the inside of his new F150 pick-up -- but I had to make a concerted effort to lift my foot that high. Then there are days I forget to change the pod in our coffee machine and wind up brewing 'dirty water.'
For the first time I can recall, Tom hired someone to come out clean our home's gutters this afternoon ... something he'd have insisted on doing himself only a couple years ago. I'm honestly terrified of him getting on a ladder, but at the same time, I'm not anxious to try it either. (As it turns out, the 'professional' fell when the ladder slipped.)
I relate to all of this you are saying here. I like to remember that although our bodies are no longer youthful or as strong as they once were ( 3 months ago I could lifty a 40 lb. bag of cat litter). Last week I had to have my son haul it inside!, we have wisdom and grace and so much to offer the younger generation, if they want to listen. I always love seeing the vehicles you are share. I am so behind catching up with all the posts. I will do better. Have a wonderufl week.
Jack, sometimes you just crack me up (laughter at your funnies), and sometimes I cry when I read the journal. You are not old! You're like a well-seasoned country ham that's cured perfectly: we had them out in the smokehouse for years ~ when you grow mold on your elbows, then you can complain about aging. STOP all this over-thinking your daily decisions about "stuff" that doesn't matter, you have a beautiful wife; two gorgeous sons, a hunnert grands and greats. You are the most fortunate guy in the world. As Eileen would say "mark my words.
You are SO blessed" ~ warm hugs from Chobee. Glenda
Now that I have that rant off my mind, I'm having a homegrown hard-boiled egg, with mayo [no it's not Duke's] and sweet pickle relish. Ain't nothing better than fresh country eggs and "homegrown tomatoes!
you are so funny - it is true too - and I can identify with you!
You do a lot more than most can do at your age, but you have kept up the maintenance. I should have done better and definitely cannot do what I used to. I'm getting slower every day. But I do keep moving and hope to make every day a little better. We are as old as we feel. We all hope we don't lose our minds, but even that is running slower these days too. I can t think ahead like I used to. Maybe that's a good thing.
oops, I started writing and lost it.~ aging isn't so pretty sometimes.~ there's so much I can still do but slower and more carefully. When I look up, it throws my balance off and I used to paint murals on ceilings and high walls. There's no way I do that anymore. We still restore furniture pieces, but slower.much slower.! Oh well, it is what it is even if we don't like it. Finding one good thing in each day is now my motto. It makes life easier and more fun. Besides, coughing or sneezes makes my radiator leak and my exhaust backfire......read that somewhere but the truth be told...I love your old work trucks....there's something about old trucks I love so much.
loven'hugs from up north where the wind blew hard enough to blow over a quad bird feeder stand, huge, onto the ground as well as break an apple tree in half. Spring winds have arrived.
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