If nothing changes, then nothing changes

Where does your inspiration come from?

I haven’t written anything for a long time and its not because of writers block, or some physical ailment that has kept me from throwing down words.  Its just life. Life for us is extremely busy and for the most part I am ok with it but it certainly puts a strain on my brain.  It seems at times that all we do is go out to restaurants, pubs, riding etc.  but what I truly crave is downtime and spending that time with Leanne.

For the most part life just goes along as it should but there are times that I need to slow down.  I did that this year by becoming a member at Highland Pacific Golf Course.  It has been an amazing journey so far and one that I have always wanted to do.  Bucket list item #46 was to have a golf membership at some point in my life and I achieved that.  My goals were to cut my handicap in half from last year. It was at 28 and now down to 12.1.  The other goal was to shoot under 80 for a round of 18.  I have never shot under 80 before until a couple weeks ago.  I shot a 74 on a par 70 course.  4 over???…very happy with that.  Its a great feeling when the things you do and work on all come together.

Unfortunately, with all the golf that I played, it came at the expense of my knees.  I used a power cart the whole time but as you know there is still copious amounts of walking.  I know it probably doesn’t seem like much but I have now ended up escalating the need for my knees to be replaced.  All the abuse I put my knees thru for so many years has now caught up to me.  For the better part of 25 years I was grossly overweight and sporting an extra 90 lbs of fat.  This took its toll on my knees, health and my mobility.  I put up with it for a very long time and just accepted the fact that I would always be destined for an inactive senior life due to my health.  What I found out is that thru better eating, exercise and just overall being more aware of my health that I have now lost those extra 90 pounds of fat.  Unfortunately my knees have taken the brunt of that weight and with that came a degeneration of the cartilage in both of them.  What this means is that I don’t have any shock absorber between the bones so any impact at all hurts like a mother****er.  I now have end stage Osteo-arthritis in both knees.

So on to the next phase of my life. I only have 4 years to go before I retire and I want to attack my retirement with all the zest and desire to live it like there is no tomorrow.  I want to travel with Leanne, I want to experience things that are new to me.  So with that said, I have consulted my doctor and she recommended me to the Re-balance team for me to get started on a knee replacement.  It will be one at a time and it couldn’t come any quicker as my right knee is getting more and more painful as time goes by.  I am walking with a cane now to help with the discomfort.  I consulted with the specialist Dr. Pugh and he is in agreement that I am certainly due for the knee resurfacing as it is called.

This is very exciting and muchly anticipated after talking with so many people that have had the procedure done. They all say its the best thing they have ever done and how much it changed their lives. This is very thrilling for someone that has had knee pain for a very long time.  The recovery is hard but the end result will be worth all the effort, pain and time needed to get back to a more active lifestyle.

With all that said, here I am feeling burnt out from just being too damn busy.  I am feeling the need to step back from my life a little and take stock of what is most important.  My wife is the most important thing to me in my life and I want to experience many more years with her which includes being more active, being in love and enjoying life.  She is a lot more social than I am as I enjoy my time at home.  I don’t have this constant need to be surrounded by people or out doing things all the time as I am quite content to find a good movie, maybe do some stuff around the condo, or in the future go hiking, walking etc with Leanne.  These are the things that I look forward to everyday, but lately it seems that life is going in other directions.  I need to slow down and slow my roll so to speak.  I have found over the years that I treasure those down times a lot more than I use to and I find at times that I yearn for it but never say anything and just let life slide on by.

My impending surgery is scheduled to take place in roughly 6 months and I am feeling the need to get myself ready for the recovery. I need to get back on the eating lifestyle (I took the summer off), I need to start exercising again and I need to find ways to get my cardio done without hurting my knees.  This will be a challenge but with the support from Leanne I know I can get it done.  I am going to be making some very serious life changes which will include a different eating lifestyle, exercise and social.

Eating lifestyle is easy as we have been on the IF/EF plan for over a year now and the weight for the most part has stayed off.  I want to lose another 30-40 pounds of fat as that will help me in all other aspects of my recovery and in life.

Exercise is something that will be difficult but I can do it.  I cant do any impact stuff so it cuts down on what I can do for Cardio, but I will adapt and make it happen. Lowering my blood pressure is high on the priority list.

Cutting down the social part will be hard.  Leanne and I are basically pretty sociable people and are involved in so many different hobbies and activities that it may be harder than I anticipate.  I am just so tired of all the boozing, the weed smoking and going to bars for social activities.  There is way to much in life to waste it away in a bar or just boozing in general.  There are no good things that come from boozing and I don’t want it in my life any longer.

These are all things that I have control over and it is only myself to blame if I am unable to change my habits and thoughts in regards to it all.

I am going to try and keep a daily log of my journey to a better life so as of September 1st, 2019 I am giving up all booze, smoking pot, and eating sugar of any type.  With impending surgery happening anytime from now till the spring, I need to be ready for it.  Lowering my BP is imperative and I can only do that thru diet and exercise and to focus on what is most important.  If anyone out there wants to join me on this journey, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  These things are always easier when you have support and camaraderie with like minded people.

I love life and the people that are in it with me.  To all my friends, I apologize ahead of time if I seem anti-social or not wanting to indulge in the things that I once took for granted and didn’t care the outcome.  I cant do the same things everyday and expect a different outcome so with that said you wont be seeing much of me any longer.  My focus is on me, my health (physical and mental), and the rest of my life.  It will be a different kind of ride so please, if you are inclined then join me on this journey so that we can all get to our senior years and be able to enjoy them.

Say it with me slowly…

If nothing changes, then nothing changes.