Monday, April 11, 2005

the older i get, the better i was.....

This phrase is used alot in reference to aging athletes (or guys who thought they were jocks in high school) whenever they "lose" their ability to play a particular sport. After Saturday, I'm using it for me in reference to, well, getting older.

From March until the first part of June, Saturdays are a blur to us at our house. I'm not complaining, it's just a fact. Both girls are playing softball again this year, and I'm helping coach Sara's team, so there's not alot of time to do anything else besides softball on Saturdays. But when have I ever used logic when it comes to getting stuff done?

I got up around 6:45 Saturday morning, got dressed, then made some bacon and eggs. I left the driveway in my father-in-law's truck at 7:30 to get my first load of mulch for the day. I was back by 8:00, and finished up the first load by 9:15. At 9:20, I went out for another load. I worked on spreading it until 10:15, then went to get cleaned up because we needed to leave at 11:00 for Sara's game at noon. (Sara started her first game at pitcher and struck out 5 in the first two innings. She even struck out the side in the first inning with no walks, hits or errors. They lost, but I was proud of her and the team for their first game.) Meg had to be at the ballpark (same complex, thankfully) at 2:00, so we drove to Sonic to pick up lunch. We came back to the park and ate in the car. (Most people like ketchup on their fries, but for some reason the bride seems to like it on her shirt. And only on white, sleeveless blouses, by the way.) Meg's game started at 3:00, and so far they look very good. She was nervous, but she played well. Only one ball was hit to her, but she fielded it cleanly and made the throw to second. Pitching on her team is outstanding, so there weren't alot of balls hit out of the infield. They won 16-1. By this time, it was about 4:30. We dropped Cole off at his house, and we were back home by 5:00. Time to unload the rest of the mulch. After getting the biggest, most inconvenient section out of the way, the bride came out and asked if she could help. (I think she was peering out the window, waiting for me to finish this section before offering to help.) I finished up the final load at 6:30, then proceeded to mow. The grass was so high that I had to go over each section twice. After cleaning out the wet grass from under the deck of the mower, I finished my work for the day. It was about 7:15.

I was sore at first after dinner, but each time I got up from the recliner, I felt a little more sore. By the time I hit the bed at 10:15, I was feeling my day. I just knew that I'd be stiff as a board Sunday morning.

Sunday morning came, and I wasn't in much pain at all. Went to church, had lunch with some friends from class, and then came back home at 2:00. I came oh so close to washing cars, then the bride convinced me that I'd done too much already and needed to rest a little. I told myself I'd rest for an hour, then wash the cars. The Masters was on, and I started watching it. The next thing I knew, it was 3:30. I had been asleep for over an hour, then couldn't wake up enough to go outside and work. So I stayed on the couch for another hour, watching the tournament. Mark and Jennifer came over, and we couldn't eat until Tiger hit his birdie putt on 18 in sudden death. After supper I had a little more energy, but not too much more.

I'm sure one day I'll look back and say "Remember how much I used to be able to get done in a day at 40? Man, I wish I could do half that much now!" Back in my 20's, a day like Saturday wouldn't have done anything to me. But then, a day like Saturday wouldn't have involved softball games, either. It makes me thankful that we've got daughters who are physically blessed so that they can play sports with their friends. So if having a full life means being a little tired every now and then, I'll take the tiredness. There are a whole lot worse ways to live life.....

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