Saturday, February 6, 2010

Relearning how to talk

We're still recovering in our mountain town from the ice storm that hit Thursday and Friday. One of the casualties of the storm was our internet service. We have a cable modem that was knocked out for 36 hours. Fortunately we didn't lose power.

I jokingly tweeted that my wife and I would have to learn to talk, to which she retorted that I would have to learn to listen. Well, I did, and not that badly. We actually enjoyed our time w/o internet - well, we learned to adapt anyway. And, as it turns out, we both benefited from the refresher course in basic interpersonal communication without technology.

Thursday, February 4, 2010

When I'm 64

My friend, Wally, and I have always joked that aging is not for sissies. Today I came face to face with that reality.

I called the bone marrow registry to update my information and was told that I'm now too old to donate. As far as I can recall, it's the first time I've been told I'm too old to do something - well, except for riding the kiddie rides at 6 Flags.

It's a cold dose of reality for someone who still thinks he can run up and down a basketball court or throw a football like he once did.

On the other hand, along with the struggles of aging come blessings. For instance, just a couple of days ago I came home to find 5 of my 7 grandchildren at my house. Of course I got kisses and hugs from all of them, from Kat, the eldest, to Gabe, the youngest.

And now, instead of playing basketball, I get the joy of sitting behind the bench of the high school jayvee team that my son helps coach. Fortunately, I can still yell as loudly as ever.