Founded on August 28, 2008, Pierini Fitness is now a 71-year-old man sharing his reflections about living and dying, gracefully aging, and trying my best to live a good and honest life. Prior to turning age 70, my reflections were from a middle-aged man’s perspective. New content will now include occasional financial and political perspectives. Enjoy your visit here and savor his knowledge and wisdom. Tell an older man or woman friend to stop by for a visit. Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum.
In our middle-aged man journey of living and dying, gracefully aging and trying to live a good and honest life comes a significant moment when a parent dies. I had this significant moment two years ago this day at 2:26 a.m. when my father's stay on planet earth came to an end. He was a child of God, cradle-to-grave Roman Catholic man, World War II Navy veteran, weightlifter who loved the iron barbell but, most importantly, he was my Dad.
Child of God 1926
Roman Catholic man in training circa 1940
Young sailor on liberty circa 1946
World War II Navy Veteran
Weightlifter who loved the barbell circa 1957
Most importantly, he was my Dad
My feelings about my Dad were previously expressed in a poem I wrote to him the last Easter Sunday we spent together about two months before his death. It's included in my book but I'm sharing it here today at Pierini Fitness.
The best way to honor my Dad is how I live the rest of my life and that's what I always strive to do.
Today I'll visit his grave at the cemetery and in deep prayer and reflective thought remember my last moments with him two years ago today, May 24th, the day my father died.
Recently,
the World Health Organization (WHO) strongly encouraged scientists, national authorities,
the media and other stakeholders such as the pharmaceutical industry to follow
what it described as “best practices” when giving a name to human diseases.
Furthermore, to assert its world dominance in
the disease name-calling arena, WHO made it clear it would issue its own
interim name for a disease and recommend its use so that inappropriate names do
not become established.
These
new best practices will apply to a new disease that has never been recognized
before in humans and where no disease name is yet established in common usage.
Additionally,
WHO makes it clear that names should be short and easy to pronounce. It gives examples such as rabies and malaria. In cases where a long name has already been
given to a disease and subsequently shortened to an acronym, such as ADHS or
AIDS for example, the acronym should be evaluated to ensure it complies with
the newly-published best practices.
Well
who does WHO think it is and doesn’t WHO have anything else better to do?
Recognizing
a similar need for best practices for naming newly-discovered middle-aged men
behaviors, Pierini
Fitness asserts its dominance in naming such behaviors so that inappropriate
names and ensuing stigmas do not become established
that would only serve to terrorize the self-esteem of middle-aged men. Furthermore,
new names will be given to existing middle-aged men behaviors to comply with
these best practices.
Here
are three examples; know that many more will follow.
Narcissism or MILOS Syndrome?
Some
middle-aged men are known to have excessive or erotic interest in themselves
and/or their physical appearance.
Pierini Fitness hereby decrees that middle-aged men afflicted with this
behavior shall not be described as suffering from narcissism or of being a
narcissist.
Telling a middle-aged man he
is a narcissist or that he suffers from narcissism is very damaging to his self-esteem. So this behavior shall now be known as MILOS (Man In Love Of Self) Syndrome.
Nose picking or PINT Syndrome?
Other
middle-aged men have been known to pick their noses in public. Pierini Fitness hereby decrees that middle-aged
men afflicted with this behavior shall not be described as nose-pickers.
Catching a middle-aged man picking his nose
in public and then calling him a nose-picker is very damaging to his
self-esteem. So this behavior shall now
be known as PINT (Picking Itchy Nose Time) Syndrome.
Silent farting in public or FAME Syndrome?
Finally,
it’s well-known that, after a big and delicious meal, middle-aged men like to
pass silent gas in the company of others and then smirk
a private grin while whistling Dixie with their hands in their pants’
pockets. Pierini Fitness hereby decrees
that middle-aged men afflicted with this behavior shall not be described as
farters.
Telling a middle-aged man that
he has farted and then calling him a farter or farthead is very damaging to his
self-esteem. So this behavior shall now
be known as FAME (Fuming After Meal Emissions) Syndrome.
Therefore,
a middle-aged man who is in love with himself, picks his nose in public and
farts in an elevator shall be identified as suffering from MILOS, PINT and FAME Syndromes. Yes syndromes because
they cause pain and suffering and, therefore, are serious middle-aged men
afflictions.
This middle-aged man learned early in life about the value of good hot bath thanks to his Mom.
Legend
has it that somewhere in our middle-aged man journey of becoming an old man, our
personal hygiene starts to go south. Is
it true?
I don’t know for sure although
I’ve met several old men who have given me olfactory evidence that it might be
true.
What
do others have to say about this? An
internet search led me to a webpage stating:
“Our distinctive scent is caused by
bacteria on our skin reacting with sweat and sebum released from our pores and
this natural smell changes as we age.According to one study, middle-aged men had the most intense body odor.”
This
ambassador of all middle-aged men around the world is aware of studies like this
and had this to say about such an allegation: "We middle-aged men will always smell nice like a splash of Old Spice."
Contributing
to declining personal hygiene is the conscious “business decision” one makes that
taking a daily bath or shower is no longer necessary. An aging, more tired and previously-important
businessman who no longer has to go out in the business world looking like a
pretty boy might find new comfort in skipping his daily encounter with a hot
wash rag and bar of soap that not too long ago he would have found unthinkable.
Another
factor to declining personal hygiene might be leaky urine syndrome time - or LUST
for short - due to middle-aged and old man prostate problems. Walking around in piss-stained underwear that
might be two days aged along with the same number of days since a bath or
shower intensifies and adds to the stink-risk.
I’m told, but don’t know for sure, there are underwear guards that can
be worn to manage this risk.
Staying
in the same stink-zone is the risk of middle-aged man and old-man butt odor perhaps
brought on by an aging digestive system that no longer works like a champ, and further exacerbated by the lack of reaching and bending flexibility
and hand-dexterity that makes it more difficult for those squeaky-clean butt wipes
that long ago were athletically-possible.
This
is all very real and scary to me.
Who
am I to think I won’t be a stinking old-man in due time or that I’m not already
a stinking middle-aged man! These
declines, you know, creep up on us ever so slowly. That stinking old man we know never thought
for a moment when he was 60 years young like yours truly, that he would one day
be another witness to what younger people universally believe of older people
stinking.
So
I’ll continue to scrub my body each day using hot water and soap in my
never-ending battle for truth, justice, the American way and middle-aged man personal
hygiene.
During
those temptations to skip my daily cleansing, like when I feel extra tired and
lazy and harboring thoughts that nobody will know and besides I really don’t
smell because I haven’t done anything to create a stink, I’ll be motivated not
to be hygienic-slothful out of fear of smelling like my grandfather’s closet.
Pierini Fitness posts a rare
Sunday reflection today for a special occasion; to recognize and salute the
chief executive blogger’s younger cousin and his darling wife as they celebrate
their 40th year of marriage.
They became husband and wife 40
years ago today and are witnesses of marriage vows taken by
a man and women; to live as husband and wife in good times and in bad, in
sickness and in health, and to love and honor each other for all of the days of
their lives.
Thank you Cousin Al and Loretta
for your shining example of traditional marriage; it will always be a perpetual
and sacred union between a man and woman that will never go out of style.
Your witness is a breath of
fresh air in the confusing world we live in today brought on by those who
frantically attempt to portray marriage as something else, something less
and/or meant to be ended and then done again whenever one “feels” like it.
Pierini Fitness salutes you for
your marriage fitness.
Today I fondly
remember my dearly departed paternal grandmother who I knew as “Gangee”. She departed planet earth 40 years ago today en
route to her Heavenly Father for eternal rest.
Her special
love for me contributed to the self-esteem I have this day that I first became
aware of one day when looking at myself in a mirror.
Thanks to her, this aging middle-aged man –
on a good day – still sees a 16-year old kid when looking in a mirror.
May
perpetual light shine on her soul and may her soul and the souls of all the
faithfully departed through the mercy of God rest in peace Amen.
I have
very pleasant yesteryear memories of being a young boy and also later as a
teenager visiting my grandmother and spending time with her on a Saturday
evening watching one of her favorite television programs, The Lawrence Welk
Show.
While younger folks may not have a
clue about this classic and very popular weekly television program, most
middle-aged people like me definitely remember it and likely with much fondness.
The Lawrence
Welk Show was an American television musical variety show hosted by none other
than Lawrence Welk. He was a big band
leader who ran a tight ship of delivering wholesome entertainment week after
week that may best be described by those who remember him and his show as “wunnerful, wunnerful!”
America
loved the Lawrence Welk Show as evidenced by it being on television for 31
years – from 1951 to 1971 live and then in first-run syndication for another
dozen years from 1971 to 1982.
The show
always ended during its syndication years with the same closing theme – Adios, Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen. I can still see my grandmother
sitting in her rocking chair ever so happy and relaxed while listening to this
closing song with promises by Lawrence Welk that his show would be back next
week.
Here are the lyrics of this song and a video of it being sung
at the end of the show:
Good night, good night until we meet again Adios,
au revoir, auf wiedersehen 'til then And
though it's always sweet sorrow to part You
know you'll always remain in my heart.
Good
night, sleep tight and pleasant dreams to you Here's
a wish and a prayer that every dream comes true And
now 'til we meet again Adios,
au revoir, auf wiedersehen Good
Night!
Good
night, sleep tight and pleasant dreams to you Here's
a wish and a prayer that every dream comes true And
now 'til we meet again Adios,
au revoir, auf wiedersehen Good
Night!
The lyrics of this
song dance in my mind this evening which is my last day of being a quinquagenarian. Tomorrow I’ll officially be a sexagenarian and, quite frankly, I’m looking forward
to it. I hope I make it and promise to
live life to its fullest during this new decade of my life.
But in a moment of middle-aged man reflection, as my
quinquagenarian clock approaches midnight, there’s a certain melancholy
resonating in my emotion about leaving the who I’ve been these past ten years
in my gracefully aging journey.
Yet one of the many things I’ve learned about myself
these past ten years is how I resist change in a big time way but once change
occurs, I’m amazingly resilient and embrace whatever new is now my present.
I hope this will be my experience tomorrow.
Nonetheless, nostalgia strikes me as I compose my
final quinquagenarian reflection, and the lyrics of Adios, Au Revoir, Auf Wiedersehen dance in my mind and heart as I
reminisce.
So as I prepare for bedtime, I’ll privately sing the first
verse lyrics of this song to myself as I fondly remember the past ten years of
my life.
Good night, good night until we meet again Adios,
au revoir, auf wiedersehen 'til then And
though it's always sweet sorrow to part You
know you'll always remain in my heart.
Yes, the past ten years of the life I’ve lived
will always remain in my heart.
Pierini Fitness is blessed to have Mr. Chris
“Isorez” Rezny as today’s guest blogger. He’s a 50-year young middle-aged man cyberspace
friend of the chief executive blogger. Chris resides in the Chicago
area with his wife and two sons and pays the family bills working in corporate
America as a sales manager. To keep his
middle-aged man body fit, Chris exercises using an eclectic approach including
barbell weightlifting, calisthenics, "Isorez” isometrics and yes
middle-aged man walking at a brisk pace.
His
middle-aged man reflection today as a guest blogger shares his thoughts and
feelings last year about this time. Grab
a chair, sit back, relax and enjoy what Chris has to share. Last year about this time, I spent time reflecting that I would
soon enter a new decade of life. Then
one day, I decided to take the rambling thoughts swarming in my mind about
turning age 50 and capture them with written words for my down-the-road archival
benefit.
What follows is what I composed
that day:
It’s
coming . . .
As much
as I have tried to convince myself it’s not true, I will be turning 50 this
year.
So that
means I’m still officially not 50 as I write this out but yes it lurks ominously
around the corner. But since I’m going
to live to be over 100, I guess, I’m not really middle-aged yet? Cool!
Reality
check – yes I’m middle-aged and have probably fit that age bracket for the past
few years. I try to fool myself, like
when I take a survey and check the box for 40-49 for my age and then privately
crack a sly smile while patting myself on my back and thinking “Hot Dog!” at
least I didn’t have to check the 50-59 age selection.
I don’t’
think there’s anything I’ll fear about turning the "BIG 5-0" but it still yanks
on my brain and pulls on my heart. Maybe
I’ll creak more or walk a bit more bent over and memories might fade.
Man, I’ll
officially be old. Me? Nope, this
can’t be!
Right now
I’m struggling with different physical aspects. One of them is that
I have two high school athletes living under my roof that I lovingly refer to
as my sons. They’re both bigger than me!
The
oldest one can put me over his head and bound up and down the stairs with me
over his shoulders. It’s a bit
humiliating . . . but enjoyable all the same.
I’ve
gotten used to being called “mister” and “sir” a long time ago just through
youth coaching of baseball and football. But now it happens in a store!
I’ve been
asked if I need help “loading that” and this ticked me off; I kindly refused
the assistance. Then I remember when I
was that young and probably would’ve asked the same question to an older man
like me.
I do my
best to keep in shape and structure workouts of resistance and cardio benefits
at least four times a week if not more. One
of my favorites is when I focus on a good long walk at a brisk pace.
Six years
ago I would never had thought that walking was a workout and at times my sons
are ruthless in their side glance when I tell them what I did. But the bottom
line is I feel good and I don’t have pain afterwards.
My one
benefit is that I really don’t think I look “almost 50” and maybe I do look
like a 16-year old kid when looking in my bathroom mirror like I know one
person says he does. I have the
benefits of a smoother complexion thanks to my mother.
Hey, I
can pass for 48. But do I look 50? Heck no! Do I turn heads? Nope; I’m just being
honest here.
However,
this year’s "Turkey Bowl" football game with friends, and many more of my sons’
friends and their college age brothers, proved to be another telling point for
me. While I didn’t embarrass myself with four receptions and one touchdown
pass thrown by “moi”, my knee hurt for three weeks afterwards from running and
falling on the frozen ground.
Yes sir –
three weeks! That there folks is called
a “measuring stick”.
I take a
slight bit of pride that the amount of grown-ups dwindled as the game went on. I hung in there with the kids but paid the price because my knee lingered in pain for three weeks afterwards before I could do a workout with lunges. That's enough of a tell-tale sign that my
internal honesty detector has been tripped.
I need to
embrace it, look forward to it and find a high hill from which to shout.
Hey I’m
going to be 50! Alright, did I just say that?
Gee-whiz;
what an embarrassing moment this is for an older guy. Maybe I’ll just
whisper it for now. Better yet, I’ll just keep it to myself for a while longer.
Almost
a year has passed from when I composed the above. I turned age 50 and embraced a new decade of
life. So I guess a postscript to what I
composed a while ago is in order.
I was on a creative roll last month and composed three consecutive
Sundays of cyber-published middle-aged man written reflections here at Pierini Fitness.
Last evening, I sat down with my very best plans to compose another masterpiece
and make in four in a row.
I wasn’t sure what I would create and seldom
do I know when writing a new composition. Thoughts just enter my mind and strings
of words are seamlessly chosen at a lightning-fast pace, thanks to skills
acquired over 40 years ago in a high school typing class.
For the most part, the written reflections I compose are
quickly done. I’ve written, edited and posted some of my
best stuff in 15 minutes or less.
But last evening that wasn’t the case. I started with one composition and put a good
10 to 15 minutes into it before deciding that it was a bunch of nonsense; so I
abandoned that effort and sat in mental silence about the nothing I had to show
for my efforts.
After a few minutes, another idea came into my head so
I went to work with what I thought would be a clever and great middle-aged man written
reflection. About five minutes later, I
found myself feeling the same as I did earlier; not satisfied with what I was
creating, considering it more garbage and then making another “business
decision” to throw it overboard. There I
was again with nothing to show for my efforts.
That’s the way it is for those who are creative or
strive to be. We all get our turn visiting
the dark side of creative dryness. What
I’ve learned when it’s my turn to experience it – after going through a pout
session and maybe some despair – is how stars shine the brightest in the
darkness of the night.
Yup, I realized that again last night when looking at
my computer monitor and staring at a blank sheet of paper.
I’ve been accused of being too wordy in my written compositions, such as letters and e-mail correspondence, and I'll accept this as valid
criticism.
It must stem from my desire
to be complete and not misunderstood which would be an occupational hazard in
my profession.
If my wordiness has its origin in the work I do, it’s because I use written
communication to advocate a client’s point of view. Sometimes it may be a controversy or dispute
so I must make sure the message I communicate on their behalf is loaded
with convincing lines of reasoning and fully supported by authority and
evidence. It sometimes takes lots of
words to do this successfully.
In any event, you can call me “Mr. Wordy” knowing you’re not the first
to do so and you won’t hurt my feelings.
And I suppose the same could be true with my spoken words but that
depends on what the conversation is and to whom I’m discussing something
with. While I take pride in being a good
listener, it’s only natural that I’d like my turn of “having the mic” in an
extended and healthy conversation.
Sometimes getting an equal share of talking time is no problem like
when the person I’m talking to and I both yield to each other at natural breaking
points so that our conversation sounds like a symphony performing a classical
music masterpiece. Other times, however,
with a different person, our conversation music isn’t so smooth particularly
when one of us “hogs the mic” in what ends up being a one-sided conversation.
“What is the sound of one hand clapping?” I may ask myself when
getting the short end of equal time in a one-sided conversation being dominated
by the other person and not me.
These long-winded and oftentimes full-of-hot-air “mic hogs” know who
they are and you can usually spot them from a distance. They are also of the same stock of those who
are “selfie-prone” with their smartphone cameras and take great delight in
uploading another selfie of themselves on Facebook to display right next to the
hundreds of other selfies previously uploaded for their Facebook friends.
These folks speak their own language called “Me, me, and me!”
Another characteristic of these people is a common preface they
frequently utter after blowing their hot air for what seems like eternity. They typically do this when realizing what they’ve
done and wanting to save face with their exhausted listener.
And what is their prefatory statement?
Those who say “To make a long story short . . .” are some of the most
long-winded people I’ve ever met.
I’m a 71-year-old man fitness guy. As founder and chief executive blogger of Pierini Fitness, I share my opinions and wisdom about the way life was, the way life is, and the way life should be.While most of my content since 2008 has focused on reflections about living and dying, gracefully aging and trying to live a good and honest life, I now occasionally share my financial and political thoughts. I will personally and timely reply to all your comments and questions.
