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Article Source: The Positive Observer
My name is Bob Hunt. I’m a 66 year old man living in Colorado Springs, CO. I have a great love of two sports:
ice hockey and downhill skiing. I
grew up in Minnesota where ice hockey is more than a sport, almost a religion. I still play hockey, usually a couple of
times a week. I also referee hockey
games, sometimes 10-12 a week. (hopefully not too often). I skated as a defenseman for a long time, but
a few years ago took up goaltending.
I like goaltending because it is at least 50% a thinking
process trying to figure out what’s going to happen. I love to skate – it is freedom. A good hockey game is a chance to be 16, all
over again, for an hour. Skiing has some
of the same freedom, the wind in your face, the thrill of the steepness and the
grace of movement. With the new
equipment it’s like being 20 all over again.
For the last 3 years it’s been sharing this with 4 grandchildren. I taught my 5 boys how to ski. One of my daughter in laws insisted I teach
my grandchildren. It’s so much fun to
see little children learn something they will probably pass down to their
children. I had the good fortune of
being taught the old way so I can take the disciplines of old and mix with the
expediency of today. I still hold a full
time position as an outside sales representative. I love selling. It is the closest thing to being a
professional athlete or actor. If you
are good they love you and if you’re bad, well – guess what!
Two quotes I really like are:
“Winners make it happen, losers let it happen.” Vince Lombardi
“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” Coach John Wooden, UCLA
I feel better at 66 than I did at 44. At 44 I drank alcohol, ate fast food, was
overweight and never exercised. Today, I
watch carefully what I eat. I am an
alcoholic (recovering for over 20 years).
Total abstinence is what works for me.
I try hard to keep my weight in check.
I exercise every morning. My wife
and I like Pilates. I skate usually
10-12 hours a week. The two worst things
for your body, in my opinion, are nicotine and alcohol in excess. Looking at life in a positive way does
wonders for your mental health. Thinking
you are too old to learn or do something is wrong. A good friend once told me to always try to
do one thing that makes you uncomfortable.
That challenge whether physical or mental will do wonders for you. Maybe you always wanted to try to learn
another language, but were afraid or embarrassed to try it. Now’s the time. I met a man who was 83 years old and was in
his first week of skiing. He said he
always wanted to try it, but his wife said he was an old fool. She died and guess what? He said he felt 10 years old. He was sorry he missed all those years of
fun.
A typical week for me could be:
Referee 3 hockey games Sunday night
Play over 50 hockey on Monday a.m. and competitive hockey
Monday p.m.
Exercise every morning
Referee a couple more games
Play in a competitive league on Thursday.
Go skiing Saturday or Sunday
Always, try to work at least 50 hours a week. If you’re not real great at something, time
helps equal success.
Always be reading a book or two.
See if you can’t learn something new.
A bad day is when... people are unkind and mean. There is no reason for that. We should always be civil to each other. Not having a plan for the day means
chaos. Forgetting to say something nice
to someone is missing a wonderful smile.
You fail to reach out to someone younger than you, because the next
generation will be a great generation too.
You forgot to tell all your children, wife, and extended family you love
them. You forgot to say “thank
you.” You have spare time.
Additional thoughts...A while back I read a book written by a Rabbi. In one part he was saying that most
theologians agree that David and Solomon were the same person. He stated that a good number of people think that
David, Solomon and Eclasiastes were one
in the same and that they might not have existed but were used to show the 3
stages of life. David was the brash
daring, sometimes, careless young man.
Solomon, representing the middle years of life, tried to be the good
king and create a good life for all his family and subjects. Eclasiastes, the later years of life, was the
unbiased advisor, reflective of life and a teacher. For me that is what life has been. Learning to enjoy each one of these phases is
a way to happiness.
A friend of mind use to tell me this little rhyme: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery,
all you really have is today.” I try to
live by that. One day at a time. Enjoy what is here today – good or bad –
because you can’t do anything about yesterday and tomorrow may never come. My final thought on this is a sign I once saw
that said, “When I am judgmental of others I am sitting in God’s chair.” There is a great life lesson in that little
statement... Accept everyone for who they
are!!!
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