The things I used to do

As fit as this middle-age man thinks he is, I must confess there’s time I spend reflecting about my fitness performances from yesteryear that I’ll never do again.

These I classify into two categories. The first are those performances I could possibly repeat again but have made “business decisions” they aren’t worth the hard training effort. The second are those fitness performances I likely could not repeat even with my best effort of hard training.

An example of the former is the modest 160 lb. Olympic lift squat snatch that I achieved about three and one-half years ago. That may not be a lot of weight for even a lightweight average Joe Blow Olympic weightlifter but it’s an accomplishment of mine and I’m proud of it. I’m sure that is something I could do again – and perhaps surpass - if I put my mind to it and backed up my mind with some dedicated training and patience.

But I won’t, because I’ve made a “business decision” repeating that performance isn’t worth the training effort required to do so. I’m at peace with my modest accomplishment and have nothing else to prove to myself in that department. Besides, I’ve got a photo to cherish that memory.

An example of the latter is the fastest time I ran the 400 meter distance on a track. My distant memory is that my best time was 56 seconds when I was in the 9th grade. That’s about 42 years ago for those of you who like math.

I’m sure there’s some middle-age man track and field junkie out there who is capable of that feat who would beg to differ with me, and offer me encouragement that is something I could do if I made the training effort. I’ll stand by my assessment, nonetheless, that is a fitness performance I likely could not repeat even with my best training effort.

This reflective exercise of things I’ve done and can and can’t do now is not limited to fitness feats exclusively but also to career, relationships, travels and living on the edge. Take driving a car at 120 miles per hour. Is that something I could do right now if I put forth the effort? You bet it is but it’s not something that’s on my short list of things to do. It’s another one of my “business decisions”.

I must confess; I like sitting in my rocking chair reflecting about the things I used to do.

Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum