Some days I wake feeling like a shadow of myself. Even though age is just a number, it’s one that eventually turns where things change. But like the bike below I still I’m still proud of what cast that shadow. I’m not in optimum shape but with some work, I can be a classic like below. Just a little thinning of the midsection. Broaden the shoulders with those ape hangers. And it looks like this bike is prepared for my eyesight with extra lights because I don’t have the cat-like eyes I did as a youdth. (A little Pesci)

Back when I brought my first cruiser it was a Shadow 1100. And it was a ton of fun to ride anywhere. I could spend 8-10 hours in that saddle over a day and hop off with a spring in my step. As I sit here and wonder if I could do a couple of hours with my back now and if I did if I could lean forward enough to swing the leg over the saddle. Nah, I’m not that bad but closer to that than the long day trips of old.

How the memories take me back, if I did ride again it would probably be on a big cruiser like this one, but I feel I don’t have the reaction and durability it would take to ride and enjoy it safely. There are a few other things that better days are long past. Some sports, some dance moves, maybe a few of the yells our group did in the days of cruising and wearing a path in the local roadways.

I feel my memory is not as sharp as it used to be. I still have a lot of stuff in there, but my search tool malfunctions from time to time. And it leads to waking up in the middle of the night going “Connie Hawkins” as the answer you were trying to come up with for your friends 6 hours earlier in the evening.

My strength is a fraction of what it once was. And probably not a fraction I would like to see, but probably a good one for my age still. I look down at my tanned arms and chest but some of those hairs that would lighten up in the summer are now grey and that way year-round.

When I was stretching my hands from some cramps I noticed my skin isn’t as taught as it once was. But thankfully my better half still says I have soft hands.

Don’t worry, I’m not having a panic attack or concerned about the signs of aging, I’m fine with the changes and I hope to experience many more over a long time. I can find ways and work harder on staying mentally sharp. I’ve never been one to consider coloring my hair or cosmetic surgery. I do my best to stay away from doctors with knives, I’ve seen enough of them. I’m not taking up any fad diet or iron man workouts but will make an effort to be more healthy and respectful of the body.

I’m sometimes puzzled at the effort people put into looking so much younger than they are. I’d be uncomfortable with the thought that I would be uncomfortable in my own skin.

But I can honestly say the ’60s are when I’m starting to feel a bit older than the 40 I was pretending to be and thought I was. I guess I’m giving myself a little too much credit there. My better half says I’m a perpetual 18 year old.

So it’s time to accept a few changes of the mental and physical kind. Instead of pushing through to finish every chore on the list, I’ll listen to the body and do what is smart. I won’t beat myself up anymore if I can’t remember at that moment in time. And as always I’ll have an appreciation for every morning I wake and I’m granted another day.

But the thing that concerns me and that I thought of ahead of all the above crap, was that my better half and friends are all getting a little older also. And that scares me to death. It makes me want to walk upstairs and hug her very close and say for the umpteenth time today that “I love you” and then call my friends and see what they are doing and when we are gathering next.

Random Thoughts of the Day

• Most days I’m flooded with random thoughts but remember very few to add when the time comes, so I wing it.
• Cloud to ground lightning strikes can get your attention. Like the ones you see and hear at the same time.
• We had our inground pool filled in. We kept the patio around it. But it very spooky to walk on it after all those decades of water.
• Things are going to get interesting professionally soon.
• I got a few new bits for the Dremel tool so I’ll be diddling around later. Watch out wood.