Savage Words: There is still so much I can do, so bring it on

I turned 57 on Sunday.

I still feel 56, but, alas, I’m not.

I took a hard look in the mirror Sunday morning when I got out of bed. A hard, long look.

There are more gray hairs … more than what, in my mind at least, are actually there. I got my haircut last week, and as the gray hairs slowly fluttered down onto the black cape that hung around my neck, I turned to my barber.

“You must have forgotten to clean your razor from the last guy here,” I said, grinning, I suppose, in hopes that the gray hair wasn’t actually mine.

“Nope,” he said. “All you, bud.”

I also noticed some additional wrinkles around my eyes when I stared into the mirror on Sunday morning. Again, there were more than what – in my mind – should be there. 

But I’ll take them. I’ve earned those pings and dents in my skin. 

For a second, I let it creep into my head of all the things I couldn’t do any longer because of this last birthday.

And when it comes to things I can’t do any longer, there are plenty.

I moved my parents from their home in Brandon into Dow Rummel Village senior care facility over the last month. I pretty much finished that up on Saturday after a long month of moving.

They moved from a two-bedroom apartment in Brandon. I told my father that it’d be a breeze to move them. He wasn’t so convinced, but I assured him I’d get it done.

On Sunday, I felt the repercussions of four weeks of moving. There was more in their place than I thought, and like always, my dad was right.

I also spent Saturday moving my daughter’s things from her apartment back home. Her lease was up at the end of June, so I didn’t have a choice. I had to get it all moved.

That move also added to some soreness in my back in places I didn’t know had muscles. 

As I stared, and stared, and continued to stare into the mirror on Sunday morning, I stopped letting those “old guy” feelings creep in.

Academy Award winning actor Morgan Freeman once said on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon that his secret to beating the aging process is to “never let the old man in.”

That 19 second video has stuck in my head ever since I heard it. It popped into my head again on Sunday when I stared at the guy looking back at me. 

So, instead of focusing on the things I can no longer do, I’m focused on what I CAN still do. And there are many.

I walk a lot, and I’m going to continue doing that. I think I walk more than most people several years younger than me do. I’m not stopping.

I have a great friend network. I’m grateful for those guys, and I’ll continue laughing with them.

I’ll continue to travel. I thought my traveling days were coming to an end, but my daughter is hell-bent on walking on every square foot of this earth. I’m going to keep visiting her, no matter where she is.

I’m going to continue to write for the Brandon Valley Journal. Trust me when I tell you that covering this community and telling its stories has included some of the most memorable highlights of my little career. 

I’ll continue being a great dad. That’s not hard. Isabella makes it easy.

I’ll continue to be a great domestic partner to my daughter’s mom. Although Nancy and I are no longer married, we’re best friends and she’s the nicest person I know. It’s confusing, but it works. According to the United States government, we’re officially ‘domestic partners,’ and I’ll continue being good at it. I’m not sure if being a good domestic partner can be quantified, but I’m going to continue making the best effort I can. 

I think I’m going to start volunteering. There are so many organizations that I believe in. It’s time for me to start giving some time to them.

So, if you know of any places that could use a hand, let me know.

Just don’t ask me to lift anything, or be a hair model, or an eye model. Those things I just can’t do anymore.

I’m 57, but there’s still so much I can do, and I can’t wait to do them all.