An Old Dog & New Tricks

When Was The Last Time You Did Something For The First Time?

“Dum loquimur, fugerit invida
Aetas: carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero”Translates as:While we're talking, envious time is fleeing: pluck the day, put no trust in the future.Poet, Horace (65 BC – 8 BC)Odes Book I
Do you feel trapped, bored or sluggish in life? Do you spend more time thinking about what you can’t do than what you want to do? Do you wonder if this is all life has to offer? Maybe my experiences might offer you some food for thought.
I would challenge you to remember Horace’s advice – time is passing by and there’s no time like the present to seize the day. However, I’d add one more ingredient to the recipe for life – that is passion. For me, it is my passion and my desire to suck the marrow from life. Moments before I die, I might look back with a final fleeting glance and smile. Because, like the song title says, “I Did It My Way.”
My sixty-six years have given me many gifts. One of those gifts is to believe I can accomplish anything I choose. It’s my passion for lifelong learning that provides a sense of self-worth, lessens stress and gives meaning to life. I think a lot about life the older I get. I also think a lot about death. Many friends have died in the recent past. I sometimes wonder if they had any regrets before dying.
I hope I will not have any regrets. My goal is to experience as much as I can because as Horace said the quote above, “…envious time is fleeing.” I try to learn or participate in at least one new activity or hobby a year. Since I retired from a forty-year career as a physical therapist, I’ve been on the attack to experience and learn new activities or hobbies.
After a couple weeks of lessons a few years ago, I learned to play the alto saxophone. I never played an instrument before that time. I can now read notes and often my squawking stirs up the coyotes in the nearby mountains. I didn’t say I was any good. I simply enjoy the fact I learned something new.
Recently, I began learning how to sketch. My wife, “Trixie” complimented me on one of my drawings the other night. She smiled and said, “That’s really nice. What is it?”
“It’s an owl,” was my response. I didn’t say I was any good, you know.
Hobbies help me to develop a sense of pride, accomplishment and discover hidden talents. Since retiring, I have written six books. One of those books will be shopped in Hollywood and New York to hopefully become a movie. Also, there have been songs written about “The Shade Tree Choir.” You can find my work at www.davidnelsonauthor.com
I recently added the adventure of fishing to my checklist. The solitude of a flowing river calms my soul and affords time to think. To catch a fish or not makes no difference to me. I throw them all back into the water anyway.
New hobbies sometimes allow us to forge new friendships. You might enjoy the company of others through writing groups, golf leagues and exercise classes. I go to the gym several times a week and I manage to lose golf balls once a month or so. I’m not so good at golf either.
Some hobbies or activities can provide meaning, fun and joy to your life. Learning to make soap, creating pottery and stained glass artwork were fun. I’ve given away almost all of my creations as gifts. I believe what we give to others - we give to ourselves. It makes me feel good inside to giveaway my hand made items.
The adrenaline rush from possible dangerous situations excites me. I once caught alligators by hand. That account can be read in my book, PALS: Part Two. White water rafting the Gauley River in West Virginia, the Ocoee River in Tennessee and the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon were events I shall always remember. It doesn’t matter our age, I say, “Grab as much as you can from life anytime and anywhere.”
On a more subdued level, I learned how to make necklaces. That was on a beach in Jamaica. I thought they looked pretty good. Several bottles of Red Stripe beer will make anything look good, I guess. I learned to make baskets and a tie-dye shirt in Jamaica also. The baskets, I gave away. I still have the T-shirt. It doesn’t fit. I guess I had too many bottles of Red Stripe over the years.
I went snorkeling at night in Jamaica. That was almost as much fun as hang gliding and flying in an ultra light. I found the hot air balloon ride and parasailing kind of boring. Do you see a picture here? Do you see what I mean by sucking the marrow out of life?
Other hobbies / activities I’ve enjoyed over the years included woodworking, gardening and cooking. Well, cooking is more of a necessity I guess. “Trixie” says if I’m going to be around the house all day while she works I could learn to cook.
I read recently that the National Center for Education Statistics reported 43% of men and 49% of women participate in some sort of lifelong learning process. As a former physical therapist I understand there are certain physiological benefits to leisure activities, exercise and hobbies. Some of these include: Reduced stress, lower blood pressure, lower glucose levels, reduced depression, better sleep patterns, improved flexibility and reduced risk of a fall. Exercise can reduce the build-up of cortisol (a chemical responsible for inflammation in our arteries), improve circulation and develop greater lung capacity. I believe learning and experiencing new adventures keeps our minds sharp and our bodies in better shape. I need help with both of these.
Listen to the creaking doors in life when they open. Don’t simply peek inside. Kick that door down and jump inside with passion. I did that twice in my life.  
I responded to an ad where two cowboys were riding through three States in five days on horseback. They were going to ride over one hundred miles, sleep on the ground and cover terrain hard and fast like the 1880’s cowboys. During the phone interview I was asked by one of the cowboys, “I assume you know how to ride a horse?”
“Certainly,” I lied.
After I paid my money to the fella and hung up the telephone, I grabbed the phone book. The section marked Horseback Riding Lessons was where I found my instructor. Six weeks later I was in Colorado and seven of us rode into Oklahoma and ended in New Mexico. I’m certain I didn’t have good equitation, but I had a grand time nonetheless.
That event led me to return to their Colorado ranch twice a year for many years and work cattle on horseback. We vaccinated, castrated and branded the heard after rounding them up. Each evening I entered notes in my journal related to my experiences. I created cowboy poems when I returned home. That was the origin of my vocation as a cowboy poet.
I guess you’d say I’m not an ordinary cowboy poet. I am the Cowboy Poet Laureate of Tennessee. Our Governor and the General Assembly gave that honor to me. For over twenty years I have travelled America with my cowboy comedy show making others laugh and ponder about life. I’ve opened on stage for numerous, well-known, international performers. Often, I am the headliner. You can find more information about me on You Tube and at www.cowboycomedyshow.com
Sometimes in life additional doors will open leading to rooms we never knew existed. My work as a cowboy poet recently led me to acting and being an extra on a couple television shows and a movie.
I like the quote attributed to Aristotle when he apparently said, “Memory is the scribe of the soul.” I’ve enjoyed sharing some of my memories with you readers. I hope you would consider finding a new hobby or activity. Your life may change. Mine did.
As for me, I now need to return practicing a song on my saxophone. I plan to record it and have it played at my memorial service. It is titled, I Did It My Way.
Additional Information 
Songs about one of my books:http://youtu.be/O5I_XS6xb70http://you...
One Minute Book Trailer: http://youtu.be/y3EWghb6qnU
A Cowboy Poem I wrote and performed in Nashvillehttps://youtu.be/-oM0YpSmHVk