Do What You Can While You Can Do It! This is Not Camping World Stadium. Post-Election Takes. I Will Watch the Fight. A Music Icon Leaves Us.
- Quote of the Week: “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” – George Bernard Shaw
Well said, George Bernard Shaw, a Dublin-born literary critic, socialist propagandist, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. I agree that we need to do what we can do while we can do it. Obviously, there are different strokes for different folks but in the long run it is important to keep playing, no matter what that means to you and yours.
Thank you, N.B., for sending me this article about older people reflecting back to their younger days and childhood. The list referenced in this article reinforces George Bernard Shaw’s quote and doing what you can while you can do it!
Once we pass a certain age, we all tend to look back at childhood in mourning. Where did all those happy memories go? When was the last time you swung on the monkey bars or saw your favorite teacher?
But those realizations don’t stop in early adulthood. Older adults recently shared their answers to the question: “What’s something most people don’t realize they will never experience again in life?” Here’s what they had to say:
“The first time I heard this, it hurt bad. One day, you will pick up your little boy/girl and carry them for the very last time. It broke my heart when I heard it because I realized it was true, and I couldn’t remember the last time I picked up and carried my now 24-year-old son. The night of my daughter’s 13th birthday, I decided I would pick her up and carry her to bed for the last time in my life. That way, I would always remember it.
“The last time that you played with your friends.”
“Pain-free movement.”
“Having the older generation available to answer questions. There is so much I wish I had asked my parents and grandparents. There is nowhere to get the answers.”
“Dropping off and picking up my kids from school. When the last time happens, you don’t realize it, and that’s sad.”
“For abled people: Ride a bike, or roller skate, climb something or even just run with complete careless abandon.”
“The last time you take your kids to the park to play. I loved seeing them so happy and making friends at the park. Then, one day, they just don’t want to go anymore.”
“If you didn’t take the time to write down the recipe and practice it, your favorite meal that Mom cooked.”
“Going outside to play with your friends. Ringing the doorbell of their parents’ house and asking if they can come out to play. Never realized it until about a year ago.”
“Sleeping comfortably through the night. Or just sleeping comfortably for a few hours.”
“The flavor of foods when you don’t know they are going to change the recipe to make it healthier and worse tasting. I still love Goldfish crackers, but I had no idea when I ate my last bag of the OG recipe that I would never taste it again.”
“First love. There’s something about starting something and not knowing how an ending feels. After that first time, I always knew pain could come.”
There was a time when I last used a pay phone and a dial phone. There was a time when I called 411 and never, ever did it again. I don’t think 411 operators even exist anymore. I remember when I threw out our last phone book, knowing that another one wouldn’t be coming and that it was the end of an era.”
Sometimes reflecting back to what once was is healthy. Sometimes it hurts. What is a moment in your life you now realize you will not be able to experience again?
- Last Tuesday, River Plate fans, ahead of an important Cup match, welcomed their team with this incredible display of fireworks and pyrotechnics. Obviously, the security at a match in Buenos Aires is not as stringent as many countries. River Plate and Boca Juniors are two of the biggest soccer clubs in South America, both in Buenos Aires. Think of the New York Jets and the New York Giants on steroids.
Regarding the world of international soccer: Last week, the massive Dutch soccer club, Ajax, hosted the Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv in a Europa tournament match. Violence broke out and Maccabi supporters were attacked after the match leaving five people hospitalized. Absolutely unacceptable, with the friction in the Middle East bubbling up between two soccer clubs in an international tournament match. There are always three sides to every story, but Dutch prime minister Dick Schoof stated, “This is simply antisemitic violence against Israelis,” calling the attacks “downright scandalous and reprehensible.” I wish I had answers and a solution to this 2,000-year-old problem.
- Things I Am Thinking on November 10, 2024:
The change in regime of the United States could trigger many policy changes. One cause and effect that I do not need to guess about is how China is feeling about the new American President. China’s economy has been dealing with a property slump for over three years, as well as systemic deflation. President-elect Trump sustaining and increasing the tariffs that are in place with China will certainly affect the trade war. The same could hold true with the trade agreements we have with Mexico. Anyone care to chime in on how these tariffs will spur inflation, specifically consumer goods?
Speaking of tariffs, the economy and the markets: The Fed cut rates again, the S&P broke the 6,000 level, and Tesla hits $1 Trillion market cap. Is the U.S. economy overheating? Please chime in.
A few posts ago I looked at trade schools and how their curriculum can lead to a solid career in the fields of plumbing, HVAC, and electrical contracting. Indeed reports as of June 2024, the average welder salary across the United States is over $65,000 a year. Include overtime and holiday pay and that annual wage rises above $75,000. Trade schools focus on hands-on activity, while traditional college education relies mostly on classroom instruction. Trade schools provide job-specific skills, while traditional colleges offer a broader range of subjects and prepare students for various careers or graduate school. To me, two solid paths for our youngsters to pursue their career.
One of the pioneers of the Atlanta business community passed away last week. Bernie Marcus, who along with Arthur Blank founded Home Depot, went on to be a billionaire philanthropist providing Atlanta, as well as many communities, a great deal of financial support through the foundation he created. RIP, Bernie Marcus.
TGI Fridays. When was the last time you were in one of those restaurants? I remember when this chain opened with the one in Atlanta becoming an iconic Sunday afternoon extravaganza. The Fridays restaurant at the Prado shopping center was a must-attend Sunday back in the ’80s, with their three-for one specials and a gathering of all kinds of Atlanta people. Competition and the ever-changing socioeconomics of the restaurant business diminished Fridays’ dominance in the ‘sit-down chain restaurant’ category. Fridays filed for bankruptcy protection last Saturday, saying it is looking for ways to “ensure the long-term viability” of the casual dining brand. Who would have thought that such an iconic restaurant brand would fall on tough times?
- The long-awaited boxing match between former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson and Jake Paul is this Friday night. Streaming only on Netflix, many of us are hoping for a competitive battle between the 58-year-old Tyson and the 27-year-old Jake Paul. I will watch the fight live, but after watching this video I am curious if this fight goes more than two rounds. Mike Tyson getting old is like Godzilla getting old: The villagers still run for their lives. Tyson’s lack of “fight fitness” will dictate him looking to knockout Jake Paul within two rounds. God help Jake Paul if Tyson cuts the ring off and puts Paul in a corner. Is this boxing event dumb? Yes. Will I watch? Yes.
Warning: strong language in this video.
Pure Talent. He was a producer who collaborated with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, and hundreds of other recording artists. He also produced Michael Jackson’s Thriller, still the number one selling album of all time. Quincy Jones passed away last week at the age of ninety-one. Jones was among the most awarded producers in music history with 28 Grammy Awards.
Quincy Jones’ influence on the world of music was widespread. As many of you know, Eddie Van Halen contributed to and rearranged the famous song, Beat It. His reason: ‘…if Quincy Jones calls, you do what he says…” If you think about Pure Talent, you think Quincy Jones.