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I’m Tired Too
(by Gary Godfrey - August 23, 2010)
A friend recently sent to me an email written by Robert A. Hall (63) entitled “I’m Tired”. Robert is the actor who plays the coroner on CSI if you watch that television show?
I’ve decided that I’m tired too. So, this week, I’m going to give you my “soap box” list . . .
I’m 64. I’ve been working since I was around 12 years old. Back then I would pick black raspberries, blueberries, or wild strawberries on the railroad property, and then sell them to the neighborhood bakers for 35¢ a quart. It would take me most of the morning to pick two or three quarts. Once I became a teenager, I ran a paper route for the Dayton Daily News. I baled hay, put up tobacco on lathes, and mowed grass. You see, I lived with a single parent (my mother) and it was everything she could do to keep food on the table. I will turn 65 in October, and Yes, I’m very tired.
I’m tired of watching healthy, lazy people with a handicap sticker dangling from their rear-view mirrors march into Walmart from a handicap parking place next to the door, so they don’t have to walk. When I usually size them up, they’re over weight, carry some kind of diet soda with them, and could use some exercise.
I’m tired of the government telling us that we are not “political correct”. They’re probably right, but what we’ve come to realize is that we are substituting tolerance for truth. Lets take the proposed Mosque that the Muslims want to build just two blocks from ground zero. The current administration is using the constitution as their reasoning for letting this project to proceed. Isn’t is funny they only want to use the constitution when it’s convenient for them. What were they using when they recently passed the health-care reform bill? This is one argument, that you can simply say, “It’s wrong!” Over 3,000 men and women lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Building this Mosque (with it’s grand opening being scheduled on September 11, 2011) would be like the Japanese building a victory memorial next to the Arizona in Hawaii.
I’m tired of both men and women texting, searching, and talking while driving. I don’t agree with Oprah very often, but this is one thing we do agree on. Do not use your cell phone while driving. In 2008, at any given moment, over 800,000 Americans were texting, making calls, or using a handheld cell phone while driving during the daytime. With distracted driving killing nearly 6,000 Americans in the same year, it's no mystery that cell phone use is risky for drivers.
I’m tired of parents pushing their children into more activities than they can handle. It’s no wonder that mini van became so popular. Mom’s have turned into chauffeurs. They have to pool their time so they can get the laundry finished. Forget dinner, that’s why McDonald's was created. Why can’t Joey and Jane do just one thing? What would be wrong with one activity per season? If you want to learn tap dancing, that’s it! No other activity until you’ve mastered that one. Why does Jane have to have 10 friends sleep over because she’s bored?
I’m tired of writing! I think you get the picture? I could go on and on, but what’s the use? Ginger tells me we have about 10 good years left? After that, only God knows. I just hope my kids remember all the thing I did for them, was for their own good.
This week’s bottom line: “Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you are aboard there is nothing you can do.” Golda Meir.
Actor James Garner once said: “The whole idea is to get as old as you can, since the alternative is no good.”
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