Feel like a new tired man...

We got our first official snowfall here in Ontario today. The only person I know who is happy about it is John at http://wisconsin2010.blogspot.com/. He's a big time skier and instructor. Actually, come to think of it, I'm happy for John as well. He finally got his wish. My wish is for it to stay up North and melt in Burlington.

It feels good to be training again. In only two short days, my entire demeanor has changed. I feel relaxed and I'm at one with the universe again. However, I am tired, even after 9 hours of sleep last night. I figure it will take a week or two to adjust. This morning I did my stiff leg, two feet per stair shuffle down the stairs. Later in the morning Alice said I "looked pale and tired". Maybe so, but I feel like I'm in a beautiful Zen like state.

Late this afternoon I got this comment from Anonymous on my blog regarding my "I need some younger friends" post and felt compelled to include and respond to it in today's post.

Anonymous Said...

I guess it all comes down to what "being old" means to the individual. I don't think it's a biological age but rather a state of mind.

For some, staying young means maintaining a minimal level of maturity and reliving the "good old days". For others it means constantly growing, constantly evolving and yes, constantly maturing. It means having more questions than answers. It means allowing yourself to continue developing as a human being. It means maintaining an open mind so you can embrace new ideas, new technologies, and yes, even new music.

For me, allowing yourself to remain mentally stagnant by refusing to grow and mature is actually the opposite of staying young. It's okay to continually grow as long as we see it as a journey and not a destination. I think the secret is to never stop growing up.

So B, I guess what I'm saying is that you don't need "younger" friends to stay young. You need friends that challenge your thinking, introduce you to new ideas, and support your passions in life. Friends that share your laughter and your tears. Friends who are always there for you and forgive you for sometimes coming across as a bonehead (Hey, we all have our bonehead moments). Friends like that come in all ages.

Good luck my friend on figuring it all out.

First off, I want to say this comment hit me hard in it's truth and wisdom. It isn't easy for me to read. I've read it a number of times and every time it gives me a "queasy" feeling in the pit of my stomach.

My post was self serving in that my definition of being young was to be able to still party like a college kid. My assertion was that it is very difficult to find people my age that still want to regularly party hard, which it is. My conclusion was that people my age are too mature and I need to find younger people to hang out that share my "enthusiasm for getting drunk". In a nutshell, if you don't party hard, your no longer young.

After reading this comment I felt very stupid. There is not one sentence in it that I can disagree with. I'd love to quote a few lines that I found powerful, but I can't. They are all powerful. There is not one frivolous or not well thought out sentence. The entire comment rings of truth. I can say that reading "reliving the good old days" and "embrace new music" reversed the tables and started to make me feel old.

What more can I say, I've been put back in my place with a very large "velvet hammer". One that only a true friend could swing. Well done. Actually, I'm more glad that ever that I wrote that blog entry. It's opened my eyes.

Thanks John... from your bonehead friend.

Tempo Bike Ride - 1:30:10 / 45.2 km / 30.1 kph / 142 avg hr

Diet 10/10