Today I rode my motorcycle. There is a bit of a story to this. I learned to ride at age 52. It was a huge deal for me. I never thought I was capable of it, and with the support of my partner and private motorcycle lessons, I did it. I was so happy! It wasn't that I had spent my entire life wanting to ride. In fact, it wasn't even a consideration until the year I got my license. I was forced to take a break due to to health reasons, and was just recently able to start back up again. I'm not the fastest kid on the block, but that's ok. This Grammy is still riding.
Life is short. It can change in an instant. The road does not travel backwards. You can't stop the clock from ticking. Hindsight is 20-20, and you can't change the past. If you were to ask me what I really wanted to do for a living when I was younger, I had a few great ideas. I wanted to be a flight attendant, and I also wanted to be a news reporter. I also wanted a little cozy house with a white picket fence and children. We make choices in life, and these choices can be good, or not so good. Life brings bouquets and curveballs. If we make good choices and get to reap the rewards and personal self-esteem is heightened. Of course we are all human, and mistakes or poor judgment can have the opposite effect.
I made choices in my earlier years that led me down different paths. Some of my choices were good, some were not. I did flight attend on northern aircraft in my younger years. Yes, serving coffee and hot breakfast on the Douglas DC-3. I wore snowpants as we boarded the passengers in remote communities on those -40 below days. It wasn't what I dreamed of, but it was fun and I met some incredible people along the way. I also flight attended on the Douglas DC-4, which seated 57 passengers. In our emergency evacuation training we had to be able to swing off the door like Tarzan on a rope, and the first one at the bottom would hold the slide. That was another lifetime ago, but I am grateful I had those opportunities.
As far as being a news reporter, well that never happened. I suppose I could go back to school if I still really wanted to do it, but I don't think I would be good at it. I am not super thick-skinned, and I really would only want to cover happy stories. Sadly that is not what we see these days. So I am quite happy to be a little retired Grammy, podcasting from a home-based studio, focusing on topics that are thought-provoking and hopefully keeping my audience entertained.
I had the picket fence and I painted it many times. I was lucky enough to have 2 beautiful children, and I am still so close to both of them, even in their adult years. I connect almost daily with my daughter, do video calls with grandchildren, and enjoy a weekly walk with my son.
As I grow older, I know that time is moving faster. There are many things I would do differently but also many things I would still do the same. Who knows what life will be like in 10 years, 5 years or even a year from now.
If there is something that you want to do, or learn, do it now, while you can. I tried to learn guitar after I retired but my hands can no longer do it. I can, however, still manage the clutch on a motorcycle and I will do that as long as I can. After all, life is for living.
I will be covering this topic in my next podcast episode. Would you like to share your comments? Is there something you always wanted to learn but were too afraid? Did you overcome a personal challenge and learn something new as an adult? Feel free to reach out to me via my website at https://www.lindysaudiocafe.com/contact/. You can send me a 2 minute voice clip through any page on my website, or simply use the Contact Form on my site to connect.
Have a great week everyone, and be sure to come back for next week's episode!
Lindy
