A worry-free life

We've already established that worrying is a major waste of time and energy. Of course, there might be some matters that still could justify some modicum of concern,

but by and large, a worry-free life is possible if we apply ourselves to getting the necessary discipline and the proper training needed to achieve that goal. The first idea is that we should never worry about issues we don't control. Death and natural catastrophes like a meteorite slamming into earth and destroying everything.

If there are things that still worry us and that we somehow control, we just need to do something about them by taking active control of them, right away, and little by little chip at them if they're too overwhelming. We need to turn these worries into remedial actions, that's it. Then, when we act on some of these causes, we free ourselves and become actors instead of passive and powerless victims. You see, the remedy is simple, with nothing complicated at this early stage of treatment. I know the subject is vast and needs to be explored further, but for this last day of 2010 that will suffice!

Embracing maturity

As we grow older, there are several ways of dealing with the work of time. One of them is to deny it by trying anything that could undo or slow-down the ravages of aging; from cosmetic surgery, to Botox, to anti-aging lotions or even to wigs or hair implants. Another approach is to avoid the subject, pure and simple. Many folks chose that response as it's the easiest and by far, the one that's less painful.

It's not that by avoiding confrontation symptoms will go away, but by not bringing the subject front and center, it sure produces a certain peace of mind an keep that reality away. My approach with that issue of maturity is to embracing it head-on and by so doing accentuating the positive of the aging process. For example, I wear my wrinkles as if they were badges of honor and I sometime marvel at the beautiful eroding work time is doing on my face. Beauty remains in the eye of the beholder and without falling into a narcissistic contemplation of my old face, I approve of it, think it's okay and live well with it.

We have in our house a framed black and white photograph of an anonymous French peasant, taken in St. Véran in the southern Alps, by my former school teacher. His face is weathered, rugged and just beautiful. Everyone who sees it is generally taken by its natural beauty. To me, it's a benchmark.

Full body transplant

Since I've approached my sixties and entered into them without even batting an eye, I've wished that there would be a “full-body-transplant” available. Picture this: I keep my old head, but right at the neck, I get a 24 year old male body in excellent physical shape that should pleasantly take me into my nineties and perhaps beyond. Technically speaking the neck area is small enough in section to allow a minimum size transplant and a relatively easy reconnection of all the vital circuits and tubes. Nothing that modern science couldn't do. Up at the top, I'd keep my knowledge, my thinking and – hopefully my wisdom.

Nothing fancy or plain impossible, just a natural evolution in our wonderful world of science. I know that some of you will think: “Wait a minute, another five year and the guy will ask for a head transplant...” No, I know much better. I can live with my baldness and my wrinkles; I prefer to stay in control!

The original and the copy

We couldn't afford to see the Rolling Stones when they came to Salt Lake in 1999 with their “No Security Tour” so the next best thing for us was to go and see some Stones “look-alike” which we just did last night at the Egyptian Theater, in Park City. “Satisfaction” is the international touring tribute show dedicated to the famous British band.

Started in Shreveport, Louisiana, this show has been produced since 2001 with over 1500 performance dates to its credit. It's actually the only full time touring show of its kind in the world. This highly acclaimed production showcases the most authentic cast audiences have ever seen. The likes of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and supporting cast bring a colorful performance to over 45 years of classic hits.

In 2008, the band assisted in the promotion of the new Martin Scorsese documentary film "Shine a Light" about the Stones performance in New York City. Like in the real world, Chris LeGrand, who plays the role of Mick Jagger, is the big star of the evening and did a really great job last night with his perfect mannerisms, his explosive dynamism and genuine representation of the original artist. Even though “we don't always get what we want,” we certainly got plenty of “satisfaction” last evening!

A new fun toy...

Since I have been very good, Santa Claus brought me a wonderful toy. It's actually more than a toy because it also doubles as a very useful watch. But it's a smart one, even much smarter than my old Suunto that I always failed to fully understand. This one is much more intuitive and user-friendly and tells me in seconds how far and how fast I go as well as how much vertical I lose or I gain. It's my new Garmin Forerunner 110, that combines GPS, computer and timekeeping functions in a small and stylish wristwatch.

Since today was the day after Christmas, I went on a walk this morning to test it, but accidentally erased the results. So instead of going skiing this afternoon, I went running to test it again. It worked beautifully and had only one thing wrong with it. It told me the painful truth about how slow I was and how short my runs were.

I can't hide or make up stories about my running, skiing or mountain biking prowess anymore. For instance, instead of believing that we run 4.4 miles most of the days, it's now only 4.17 and instead the 3.6 miles of our “short run” has shrunk to just 3.5 miles ... I had measured these courses in total good faith with my mountain bike and its overinflated tires also overstated the truth, but no one's perfect!

The great skiing shortcut

These days, learning how to ski is easy. The same could be said – even to a much larger extent – about snowboarding. Both sports now offer a much faster learning curve than they used to. However, when the newcomer has enough autonomy to go everywhere, stagnation creeps onto the scene in a big way. The skier (or snowboarder) has to put in even more time and miles in order to keep on improving. Basic skills like edge control (the holy grail of skiing) take years and miles on the slope to fully master and this can be very hard, for the newbie, to fully comprehend and accept.

This said, it's wonderful that new equipment and impeccable slope grooming can give a head start to all these new skiers. The industry needs it badly. But to becoming good and very good, still takes the same amount of time, work and dedication; the problem is that, with an introduction so fast and so easy, getting really good can be seen as much more frustrating and almost unattainable. In skiing, like in any other life endeavors for that matter, even the best shortcuts are never a substitute for running the entire course...

Present-packed Christmas

Last night we had a fun family celebration of Christmas, with grandson Finn, the centerpiece of this annual event. Good food, good company and a present overload. In spite of what we say all year long, it's hard to keep Christmas gift-giving simple and minimalist. We're all guilty of getting a little carried away. Commercialism has for sure taken over the annual festivity. We should establish present-giving rules and follow them faithfully, but the temptation is always lurking and never fails to take over the whole process. Well, there's always next year. In the meantime, Merry Christmas everyone!