When Was The Last Time You Did Something
For The First Time?
“Dum
loquimur, fugerit invida
Aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero”
Aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero”
Translates as:
While
we're talking, envious time is fleeing: pluck the day, put no trust in the
future.
Poet, Horace (65 BC – 8 BC)
Odes
Book I
Do you feel trapped, bored or
sluggish in life? Do you spend more time thinking about what you can’t do than
what you want to do? Do you wonder if this is all life has to offer? Maybe my
experiences might offer you some food for thought.
I would challenge you to remember
Horace’s advice – time is passing by and there’s no time like the present to
seize the day. However, I’d add one more ingredient to the recipe for life –
that is passion. For me, it is my passion and my desire to suck the marrow from
life. Moments before I die, I might look back with a final fleeting glance and
smile. Because, like the song title says, “I Did It My Way.”
My sixty-six years have given me
many gifts. One of those gifts is to believe I can accomplish anything I
choose. It’s my passion for lifelong learning that provides a sense of
self-worth, lessens stress and gives meaning to life. I think a lot about life
the older I get. I also think a lot about death. Many friends have died in the
recent past. I sometimes wonder if they had any regrets before dying.
I hope I will not have any regrets.
My goal is to experience as much as I can because as Horace said the quote
above, “…envious time is fleeing.” I try to learn or participate in at least one
new activity or hobby a year. Since I retired from a forty-year career as a
physical therapist, I’ve been on the attack to experience and learn new
activities or hobbies.
After a couple weeks of lessons a
few years ago, I learned to play the alto saxophone. I never played an
instrument before that time. I can now read notes and often my squawking stirs
up the coyotes in the nearby mountains. I didn’t say I was any good. I simply
enjoy the fact I learned something new.
Recently, I began learning how to sketch.
My wife, “Trixie” complimented me on one of my drawings the other night. She
smiled and said, “That’s really nice. What is it?”
“It’s an owl,” was my response. I
didn’t say I was any good, you know.
Hobbies help me to develop a sense
of pride, accomplishment and discover hidden talents. Since retiring, I have
written six books. One of those books will be shopped in Hollywood and New York
to hopefully become a movie. Also, there have been songs written about “The
Shade Tree Choir.” You can find my work at www.davidnelsonauthor.com
I recently added the adventure of
fishing to my checklist. The solitude of a flowing river calms my soul and
affords time to think. To catch a fish or not makes no difference to me. I
throw them all back into the water anyway.
New hobbies sometimes allow us to
forge new friendships. You might enjoy the company of others through writing
groups, golf leagues and exercise classes. I go to the gym several times a week
and I manage to lose golf balls once a month or so. I’m not so good at golf
either.
Some hobbies or activities can
provide meaning, fun and joy to your life. Learning to make soap, creating
pottery and stained glass artwork were fun. I’ve given away almost all of my
creations as gifts. I believe what we give to others - we give to ourselves. It
makes me feel good inside to giveaway my hand made items.
The adrenaline rush from possible
dangerous situations excites me. I once caught alligators by hand. That account
can be read in my book, PALS: Part Two. White
water rafting the Gauley River in West Virginia, the Ocoee River in Tennessee
and the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon were events I shall always remember.
It doesn’t matter our age, I say, “Grab as much as you can from life anytime
and anywhere.”
On a more subdued level, I learned
how to make necklaces. That was on a beach in Jamaica. I thought they looked
pretty good. Several bottles of Red Stripe beer will make anything look good, I
guess. I learned to make baskets and a tie-dye shirt in Jamaica also. The
baskets, I gave away. I still have the T-shirt. It doesn’t fit. I guess I had too
many bottles of Red Stripe over the years.
I went snorkeling at night in
Jamaica. That was almost as much fun as hang gliding and flying in an ultra
light. I found the hot air balloon ride and parasailing kind of boring. Do you
see a picture here? Do you see what I mean by sucking the marrow out of life?
Other hobbies / activities I’ve
enjoyed over the years included woodworking, gardening and cooking. Well,
cooking is more of a necessity I guess. “Trixie” says if I’m going to be around
the house all day while she works I could learn to cook.
I read recently that the National
Center for Education Statistics reported 43% of men and 49% of women
participate in some sort of lifelong learning process. As a former physical
therapist I understand there are certain physiological benefits to leisure
activities, exercise and hobbies. Some of these include: Reduced stress, lower
blood pressure, lower glucose levels, reduced depression, better sleep
patterns, improved flexibility and reduced risk of a fall. Exercise can reduce
the build-up of cortisol (a chemical responsible for inflammation in our
arteries), improve circulation and develop greater lung capacity. I believe
learning and experiencing new adventures keeps our minds sharp and our bodies
in better shape. I need help with both of these.
Listen to the creaking doors in
life when they open. Don’t simply peek inside. Kick that door down and jump
inside with passion. I did that twice in my life.
I responded to an ad where two
cowboys were riding through three States in five days on horseback. They were
going to ride over one hundred miles, sleep on the ground and cover terrain
hard and fast like the 1880’s cowboys. During the phone interview I was asked
by one of the cowboys, “I assume you know how to ride a horse?”
“Certainly,” I lied.
After I paid my money to the fella
and hung up the telephone, I grabbed the phone book. The section marked Horseback Riding Lessons was where I
found my instructor. Six weeks later I was in Colorado and seven of us rode
into Oklahoma and ended in New Mexico. I’m certain I didn’t have good
equitation, but I had a grand time nonetheless.
That event led me to return to
their Colorado ranch twice a year for many years and work cattle on horseback. We
vaccinated, castrated and branded the heard after rounding them up. Each
evening I entered notes in my journal related to my experiences. I created
cowboy poems when I returned home. That was the origin of my vocation as a
cowboy poet.
I guess you’d say I’m not an
ordinary cowboy poet. I am the Cowboy Poet Laureate of Tennessee. Our Governor
and the General Assembly gave that honor to me. For over twenty years I have
travelled America with my cowboy comedy show making others laugh and ponder
about life. I’ve opened on stage for numerous, well-known, international performers.
Often, I am the headliner. You can find more information about me on You Tube
and at www.cowboycomedyshow.com
Sometimes in life additional doors
will open leading to rooms we never knew existed. My work as a cowboy poet
recently led me to acting and being an extra on a couple television shows and a
movie.
I like the quote attributed to
Aristotle when he apparently said, “Memory
is the scribe of the soul.” I’ve
enjoyed sharing some of my memories with you readers. I hope you would consider
finding a new hobby or activity. Your life may change. Mine did.
As for me, I now need to return
practicing a song on my saxophone. I plan to record it and have it played at my
memorial service. It is titled, I Did It
My Way.
Additional Information
Songs about one of my books:
http://youtu.be/O5I_XS6xb70
http://youtu.be/oQApYp1S9O0
A Cowboy
Poem I wrote and performed in Nashville
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