A Confession

Matt Taibbi of the Free Press writes:
I apologize for Racket readers for my recent absence. I had an accident at the end of the last week, taking a fall after losing keys and trying to break into my own house. I was unconscious for a few minutes. Apparently upon waking I knew my date of birth and name, but not the current President (!). EMTs and a nearby hospital took good care of me... 

My lesson from this week: if you’re older and have kids, act like it. Beware of thoughts like, “When I was 22 I could make this jump without a problem.” You’re not 22, you’re one of earth’s most dangerous animals, middle-aged and delusional. 

I have a Strongman competition coming up on Saturday, which I have intended to be my last one and after when I have intended to retire. The run-up to it has gone so well, though, I keep finding myself thinking: "You know, maybe I shouldn't retire from the sport after all..." 

Perhaps I need a different sport. We're all getting older. 

9 comments:

E Hines said...

There's always wingsuit flying....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L8UCfxmtSw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3iSjcKElH8

Eric Hines

Grim said...

That does look very awesome. All we'd have to do is be good at falling!

Anonymous said...

The problem is, you also have to be good at **stopping**!

--Janet

Grim said...

I feel like the stopping part will happen regardless of my skill at it.

raven said...

^ It is the speed of the stop that is in question...
I decided to take a break from work the past couple weeks, that was a wake up call- worked harder than my real job. moving heavy stuff, digging ditches etc. It hurt all over, but am grateful I can still do it.

Assistant Village Idiot said...

When you are 17 you think "I can make it over that fence 9 out of 10 times" and you jump. Within a few years you conclude 9 out of 10 isn't enough. At 37 "I can make it over THAT fence 99 time out 100," and you jump. Then you decide that's not good enough. At 57, 999 out of 1000 or you ain't jumping. Short after that, you realise that bad luck will find you even when you exercise great judgement, and you jump over no fences at all.

raven said...

Your math is accurate, and by it's logic I should have given up motorcycles a long time ago. The problem is that activity is one of the very few that can make me feel young again, and such a feeling is nearly priceless.

E Hines said...

The logic of the math lets me keep pushing the odds against me out far enough that I'm more likely to die of old age than I am to die because the bad luck succeeds in finding me.

Eric Hines

Assistant Village Idiot said...

Bad luck has found me many times. I am quite clumsy.