Sports page - a guilty pleasure

I confess that, even at my age, I still read the sports page. How are the local teams doing? What about the team standings back in my former home? After long years remembering my own school days' prowess in track and field, I still take an interest in those sports as well.

My eye was caught recently by the headline, "Randle takes Fourth at State." The article was about a weightlifting competition, and Randle turned out to be a girl! Never having competed in weightlifting myself, I was really impressed.

One of my fondest memories involves my oldest son and his enthusiasm for weightlifting. At one time the third floor of our home had been given over to the boys, and it held their bedrooms, a storage room, large bathroom, and another small room intended to be used for overnight visitors that inadvertently had become the weight room. A sound I had become very familiar was the sound of barbells and weights being lifted and dropped on the floor with a loud clang many times per day.

Dinner table conversation was enlightened by such remarks as "Jake benchpressed 160 lbs, and cleaned 170. He finished with 400 pounds!" That was followed by a quick reply something like, "Yeah, but I bet I can beat him in the clean and jerk this week."

Then mother intervenes - "Boys, I told you not to call people jerks, it's rude!"

Both sides of the table were filled with laughter at Mother's lack of knowledge. Oh well, I finally learned. After all, girls didn't have a chance to lift in my day. My favorite competitive sport was high-jump. Now there's a real sport!

Nowadays, my biggest challenge is putting out the trash can. But that's a story for another day.

*****

The Pensacola Little Theatre Guild is holding a benefit entitled "A Spring Affair in the Islands" which will be held on May 5th from 5 until 8 p.m. at the Pensacola Cultural Center, 400 South Jefferson Street. Tickets are $20.

There will be wine, hors d'ouevres and punch along with lively entertainment. You'll find the truth in the old adage 'no man is an island' when you mix and mingle with other folks having a good time for a good cause. Away with income tax blues - get into the merry month of May with an event that will make it even merrier!

*********

Here are some interesting words from John Parrish, Ph.D., executive director of the Erickson Foundation.

"We believe successful aging consists of three components. The first is physical well-being, and regular walking is just one avenue towards that. The second is strong psychological functioning, and the third is remaining socially active."

He tells a story about a 72-year-old woman who put a step counter on her belt to measure how many steps she was taking each day. The goal for most people, even older people, is 10,000 steps daily. This lady was amazing - she registered 22,000 steps.

Well, that's nothing - I've got her stopped, and my own pedometer too, to help me keep track of my daily treks. Staying active is important for all of us seniors. If you get out and about walking in your neighborhood, you automatically improve not only your health, but your visibility. You'll be surprised how many friendly faces you will see each day.

******

Here's a thought about being successful:

A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.

A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

See you next week!