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TOE STUBS ARE INEVITABLE, TICKET STUBS ARE CHOICES

Sunday Mar. 13, 2016

Travel into every day is another day farther away from yesterday, another day nearer to having no tomorrow …

Is there hope?

Is there enough time?

Sure. Pack your remaining time next to your dreams in that suitcase, next to pills and Poligrip, under knee braces with re-freezable ice packs. Deep heat, deep cold, everything you own ending in ..um. Pack ‘em. Imodium too – you can never be too safe about that.

You’re ready.

Are you ready, to travel through life?

Are we who we believe we are?

Or delusional, on travel-tangents to who we think we should be?

Many, discontented with their life, their perception of their situation, limitations, unfulfilled aspirations … get a grip folks!

Past age twenty, intractable trajectory dichotomy.

First – physically grown, ascending intellectual, emotional, financial and cultural growth. Second – once fit frolicking taut bodies inevitably decline. Starts at seventeen, ends at death.

Acceleration on either is not automatic. Up-ticks on either tangent must be willful.

When we appear to get what we want, or who we want, we still seek validation we’ve not yet figured out. Everybody does. Each slightly different, we are in this together with remarkably similar struggles. Not searching for meaning in life in its general sense, but for meaning of our own lives in a very specific sense – as if we are different, unique and special. Sure. Swell. Believe that if you like, but each year, each decade, I see so much more sameness.

Downward physical health track could be ‘down-syndrome’, but that term is taken. Inevitable decline to death seems too macabre, too clinical. You see, we put junk in our bodies expecting our engines to purr like fine-tuned Ferraris. Most of us ignore and pass up daily chances to adopt better regimens of diet, exercise and sufficiently-sleep ourselves to better health. Still, even work-out and organic food fanatics find there is no stopping – only slowing – aging of bones and organs. Soft tissues? Muscles atrophy, non-muscles become fat. And it still hurts like blazes when we stub toes …


Mark Kolke

P.S.: we could all use more time. We use it, lose it, abuse it, waste it or sleep it away – and last night, forces beyond understanding took another hour away. Sure, they promise they’ll give it back in the fall, but we all know we ever get it back, ever. We rearrange it. Sadly, too often we just waste it …

written / published from Calgary, AB

morning walk:  3C/38F, a fed clouds and it was still dark (hey, where is my daylight?), we saved time – for later. We walked fast and came back for a hearty healthy breakfast of sautéed veggies served on a bed of raw spinach, fruit and the lightest most fantastic scrambled eggs, and coffee. Gusta passed on the coffee …

 

Reader feedback:

ADRENALIN AND SECRET SAUCE

Congratulations Mark! and yes so much emotion and elation and frustration in all of it!  I love that "I did it well" feeling! so yummy...not so much the other one whether growth results or not. Anyway...if you want to practice outside your club, I could see if our club would endorse a space for you...No idea the politics around that...but would look into it if you want to rise earlier than dawn to be here at 7:00am on a Wednesday, SF, Lethbridge, AB

P.S.: I am so glad you do write every day, for you, for me and for 9000 others. I thank you for your talent and your willingness to share it. Happy Saturday!, CG, Calgary, AB


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