Death is Certain.... Life is Not!

Heard that morbid but catchy phrase on an advertisement for a new Crime Reality series called "The Killing Fields".

And it caught my attention and got me to thinking of my change in life direction and attitude over the last few years.

I clearly turned away from failing marriages and careers and began a walk toward figuring out what made me tick and what I liked and enjoyed.

Because let's face it.... When you're on the South side of 50... There's more behind you than ahead of you - especially in terms of activity and quality of life.

Getting off the Texas Gulf Coast and moving to the high elevation environment of Santa Fe New Mexico was something I had planned for several years and definitely a move in the right direction of doing what I wanted and what was best for me.

Let me put it this way.... 6 months in Santa Fe is better than 6 years on the Texas Gulf Coast.

There's a lot of uncertainties in my life right now. Employment, left knee pain, staying in Santa Fe or not.

But through it all, I fill my days with the challenge of intense exercise, hiking and cycling in the beautiful environment that is Santa Fe. I buy the best ingredients I can afford and cook high protein, low fat nutritious meals that fuel this 53 year old body to compete with those half my age.

I enjoy the dark and imaginative journeys that heavy metal music take me on, an occasional bowl of pipe tobacco, a tumbler of Hennessy Cognac and a roaring fire.

I realize that my future is certain - I will die someday.

But in the daily struggles known as the meantime, I revel in the realization that, in my own simple way, I am making the most of each day.

I continue to feel the burn of competition in every CrossFit workout, the restoring comfort of a meal cooked by my own hand, the bite of cold air in my lungs and the peace of a quiet place in the mountains.

It is true - Death is Certain. Life is Not.

But in that truth is the freedom of choice to pursue a life and lifestyle of our own choosing.

Don't let Death take that opportunity from you.

Greet each day with the Tenacity of a Warrior -

Fighting for Life but Prepared for Death.