Nothing Else Matters is a tune that came on as I was reading a note from a very sick friend. And I was thinking, to him, nothing else matters but his health and the moments without pain and sickness from both his illness and treatments.

If you don’t have your health, nothing else matters. It’s a real simple fact of life that you won’t find anyone who is sick argues with. Not that many don’t overcome and work tirelessly minimizing the effects of ill health. Actually, most do, but there are days and weeks and months and sometimes years of bad days.

So today I’m appreciating my good health. Well with the exception of the normal daily aches and pain a 6+ decade old body develops which I will brush off as scars of making it this far.

Okay, onto a healthier topic, and that is another change of season is at our doorstep. There are things I love about each season here in the mid-Atlantic. One is that we do have distinctive seasons. Winter is cold and has snow. Not an unreasonable amount but a few significant ones. Fall and Spring are moderate temps with fall being a bit drier and the spring a bit moister. And of course my beloved SUMMER season of warm temps and beaches and great water temps.

The colors of fall are spectacular. That can’t be understated in many areas in this country. And when the leaves have fallen you have this colorful carpet (until I mow and rake) on the ground. And even when the trees are barren again, the new sights and views that open up are always refreshing. Fall was my favorite season to ride my motorcycle. And even now I keep my top down will for a few more months.

Fall is the season that leads you into the holidays. I do have a problem with all the pumpkin spiced crap coming out while it’s still summer and yes it’s already invaded my home weeks earlier.

Fall tries each year with great effort to transition me into the Winter season but it doesn’t have a good track record. I can remember a few winters in my youth that I enjoyed. The ones before I was 10 years old and delivering papers year-round. And maybe a few in my high school years. Of course a few with my own children. Then a huge gap till my 50s and the first fall and winter after my first cancer surgery. I was just starting to feel human again and thought I would never take another change of season for granted.

And I haven’t since and never will again. Yes, I still have my favorites and least favorites but I still have a great appreciation for each. I love the excitement in my better half when the temps don’t get out of the high 60s or low 70s and nights in the 40s come along. And her pleasure just increases as the temps drop more into winter, her favorite. Just another thing we are opposites at. But that is OK because we balance each other out.

Random Thoughts of the Day

• Too early to think yet.
• Second try, still too early, I’ll post them later.