No, it’s not another beach reference, it’s just some thoughts that led me to the idea that neither of those things slows down for anyone. We are starting to emerge from the hunkering down we’ve experienced these past weeks. Since the second week, I’ve been out at least once per week doing grocery shopping, so I’ve never, actually, been totally isolated. What I have felt, deeply, is the separation from people other than my lovely wife. When the highlight of your week is exchanging a few words with the fish monger at Stew’s, you know things have gone a bit sideways. What I keep thinking is how valuable time is and unlike just about any other commodity, it is the one thing that you cannot ever get back.

I don’t feel old, I think I’ve said in other posts (maybe more than once) that I actually feel more vital and healthy now at almost 68 than I did at 48 or 58. The harsh reality, is, though, that the undefeated champion Father Time (or Mother Time as the case may be, it’s simply a euphemism) can strike any time it chooses. It can slow you down, it can incapacitate you, it can put a mighty crimp in your plans. I’m not worried at this point, but I am cautious. I do look ahead at all I still want to do with a wary glance and realize that things can change.

If there is a major lesson I’ve learned from all this, it is to embrace tasks, whether they are things I want to do or things I need to do or things I have to do, get them done and then look toward the next steps.

I’m not the Prince of Tides, and while Time Has Come Today I hope to have more and more time to look both forward and glance backward.

So, today is Global Running day, with that in mind, I suited up and went out to “participate”. I was tired, having carried my golf bag a full 18 holes two days ago but really felt the need to do this. It was 10 years ago I had my second hip replaced and 5 years ago I started a weight loss journey by taking the leap of faith and having a sleeve surgery. Both of these events, in the past, have enabled me to look forward and move forward and to put a hand up to old “Father” Time and request that he slow down a bit. It was pretty humid and I decided on the Layla collection to keep me moving, about 1/4 mile in, a really apropos song kicked in…”Keep on Growing”…it really says it all just in the title…followed by “Key to the Highway” again, how great as I’m jogging down the road. I made 3.22 miles today that’s a 5.19K. I did it for myself, but I also did it for Silvio who can’t and for anyone else who currently can’t. Five years ago it was a chore just to walk up a few stairs, according to my Fitbit, carrying my bag at Oak Hills was the equivalent of climbing 97 flights of stairs…talk about a change.