two hundred seventy four

SAVING FOR A RAINY DAY IS JUST PLAIN STUPID

Saving money for a rainy day is a very wise principle but some people apply this principle to their lives. In my opinion saving your life for a rainy day is just plain stupid. Having a big pile of un-lived life at the end would be sad and pathetic. Our lives are to be lived not saved for a rainy day.

To be clear I have been rather foolish with my money and should have saved more. I'm not by any means destitute I have enough. I have a place to live, food to eat, a car to drive, a really amazing bicycle to ride and a loving wife who puts up with my snoring. 

Physical fitness has now become fashion. Thin is in, Keto, Palio, plant based and Vegan diets are all the rage. Some do pilates, yoga, spin class, rock climbing, running, cycling and pole dancing. Organic, all natural, scent free, gluten free, sugar free, caffeine free, animal free, cage free and anti biotic free but nothing is actually free they are all much more expensive.

People swallow piles of supplements, liters of exotic juices, and gallons of filtered BPA free water. They repel smoking, perfume, sunshine, new car smell, dust, indoor and outdoor air pollution. They avoid cholesterol, fried foods, carbohydrates, red meat, dairy, eggs, sugar and flavor. All of this is to extend their lives. 

When I was in high school I worked with a 45 year old man who said "People say if you exercise and stay regular you will live an extra ten years, but who the hell wants to spend ten years on a toilet out of breath?" He chain smoked filterless Pall Mall cigarettes and drank a minimum of 12 beers a day. I heard he is still living in Ohio.

There is nothing wrong with extending your life and avoiding things that are unhealthy, I know I am trying, but there needs to be a balance. Take care of your health but don't forget to live. 

Our hearts beat, our lungs breathe, our eyes see and our ears hear. Someday much sooner then we like, all of this will stop. No one gets out of it we all exit stage left feet first. This obsession to avoid this end has become a lifestyle, an industry and at times a mental disorder. 

Now being an old fart in the eyes of young people my only advice to  them if it is solicited is to live their lives and don't miss it. It may sound like some riddle from Yoda but it is that simple, just live your life.

Wake up everyday, take a breath, look out of the window, smell your coffee and be grateful you are alive. Skip the news, Facebook, e-mail and telephone text messages. Read something affirming and consciously turn on your eyes and ears. By this I mean look at something and try to see it, listen to something and try to hear it.

The most important thing is to get perspective. Transferring the responsibility of running the entire world and making sure people act the way they should over to something or someone beyond yourself is liberating. I'm certain none of us makes the sun rise, the weather change, the tides rise and fall, gravity or has the ability to make politicians not be assholes.

After I relinquish this control I focus on the small world I am responsible for. I am responsible for my interactions with the humans in my small circle, be it in traffic, on line, on the phone, in the grocery store, my friends, my family, my customers, employers, or fellow workers. I avoid division, judgment and hate, I focus on respect, listening, kindness, mercy, acceptance, please and thank you. 

The secret isn't in the activity it is the act of perceiving. People jump into private jets, travel the world, mingle with celebrities and royalty,  live or stay in multimillion dollar mansions, drive exotic super cars, wear the latest designer clothes and eat the best prepared food but if they can't see, hear, smell, taste and touch it is just an empty activity. 

Great Movie WITH HONORS worth a watch......pay attention to his bag full of rocks

I have met people with practically nothing who have the ability to perceive life in a rich fulfilling way and I have seen the despair and emptiness of those who have this lavish lifestyle. 

It isn't the wealth that is the issue I have met extremely wealthy people who have the ability to keep things in perspective, I admire them. I'm not sure I would be able to keep this perspective I could be an arrogant ass, but at this point I'll never know.

Our world today views life as a commodity. We assume we will get our 79 years or more, but modern medicine, airbags, bike helmets, sun screen, low-fat and all natural food won't save you if you are "it". Life at times is not fair, babies die mysteriously in their cribs, kids get cancer and natural disasters kill thousands in the matter of minutes. 

Life is fragile and sometimes we are just "it". Hiding from life may help us avoid getting killed but it will definitely keep us from living it as fully as we can. 

Yes navigating this mysterious balance is a risk, an uncertainty and yes your responsibility to choose. I have no answers for you, I have my own life to navigate. This blog is where I express why I choose what I choose. It may be pure foolishness to risk riding on the edge of the highway but it is what I choose.

What I do recommend is to learn how to see and hear, taste and smell, feel physically and emotionally and be present and grateful. One day at a time, living in the moment, being present or being where you are and seeing what is in front of you. The more I live this way the more I love living and the less I fear that stage left feet first exit.

I know this is a rant about life but it is appropriate in this bicycle blog. I found most of these things on the seat of my bicycle.