Top 5 things I wish I'd realised sooner

Random musing alert.

While out on my lunchtime stroll, I always think. Here's my top 5 things I wish I'd realised years ago. Not necessarily regrets, because I don't think it's right to regret not knowing something you weren't ready to know. Feel free to add yours. Here's mine.

1. There is no such thing as old people. There are of course people that have lived a long time by comparison to one's self, but they are not old people. They are just people.

2. When older people see you doing something and warn you that you'll pay with your health in 20 years time, they are not making it up. None of us are some sort of exceptional magic thing immune to time and beer.

3. People only criticise you for either of two possible reasons. They either see potential in you that they want to help you develop, or they need to distract themselves from their own insecurity by picking fault with others.

4. Rest. But don't become lazy. Rest is every bit as important as activity.

5. Look after your body. Especially your butt. I'm deadly serious. Your butt muscles hold everything else in line. If they become weak, you'll suffer with your hips, knees, lower back, right down to your feet, which will make you feel drained and weak everywhere. Look after them.

 

This reminds me of the 'Top 5 Regrets of the Dying' by Bronnie Ware - worth a google.

I connect with the older people comment - it makes sense to learn from other people's experience.

No. 3 - the only opinion that matters is your own.

No. 4 - in reality we're all machines - we will eventually go wrong - either through not being used or overuse.

No. 5 - once you lose your health that's it - so many of the simple pleasures of life will be closed to you.

I'm starting to sound like the Dalai Lama

 

What's number two ?

 

Well you see there are many. But I had to limit myself to how many I could be bothered to type on my phone while sat in the sunshine on my half way point rest.

 

Dam I`ll have to change my mood chooser now from mellow to .......

 

6. Realising something within your control is less than ideal is only depressing if you let it be. If something is fixable, then realising it is broken presents an opportunity to fix it better than it was before.

 

7. Grownups are just old kids. We play. We don't call it playing because that's silly but we do.

I took CL 1.1 swimming earlier. When there, I saw a bloke of about 70 years old heading to the steps to get out. Then for the last few metres, totally unnecessarily, he swam under water. I could see no logical reason other than that he found it fun. When a kid does something for no logical reason other than for fun, we would say they were playing.

Then I got to thinking about me, training in martial arts in my early 40s. I'm not a copper or soldier. Statistically I'm more likely to be injured in training than as a direct result of a hostile act. So why do it? Why at my age, or at any age for that matter, do I need throw a kick to head height, spin 360 degrees, and kick again? Why do I need to dive over a kick shield and land in a forward roll? Kids would call that playing.

While swimming in the main pool, over in the teaching pool and aqua aerobics class was on. I saw a lady of mature years accidentally splash a gentleman of mature years in the face. He retaliated, and a splash fight broke out. There's no other way to dress it up, they were playing.

And gardening. Totally unnecessary. We could go to the local park for scenery and flowers, or the shops for food. We don't need to do it. We do it for fun.

 

00000000000000000000000000001348

Oy, less of the old, mature in age sounds better.lol lol lol Even better, immature in age.

 

The trouble is that when your a teenager your parents are silly old farts who don't know what they're talking about. So now I'm paying the price for all the bones that I've broken over the years and it turns out that the old man knew more than I gave him credit for

I struggled to get five.
I should have gone out with "old hairy legs" when I was at school 'cos when she got away from her parents and went to university she blossomed. Like totally drop dead gorgeous blossomed

That rather expensive suit that I bought at the end of the eighties didn't make me look cool, it made me look a right plonker!

 

Reading all these comments are making me smile. Would have, could have, should have...

 

Like them ifs and buts...

The old saying about if you could put an old head on young shoulders..that comment always made me laugh, but I can appreciate the meaning of it now