Out and About – Week of October 21st

I’ve been quite lucky when it comes to staying healthy. We made it through the COVID pandemic and feel fortunate. We have kept current with our annual vaccinations and have always watched our diets. We have done all we can so as not to get sick. However, about a week ago, some sort of bug caught up with my wife and me. My wife got hit with the bug that drains all of your energy from you. She is a very busy person and knows how to deal with the old recliner magnet. This time, she sat down and straps appeared and secured her more than normal. This really upset her. Her battle with fatigue lasted a little over a week. She is a warrior and eventually won the energy battle.

My sickly experience started out with the dry heaves. This resulted in going almost three days without eating and sleeping more than my normal eight hours. I did drink some ginger ale, which tasted really good. I eventually ate some macaroni and cheese. However, my energy level has taken more time than normal to get me back on my feet. I apologize for not putting together a column last week. I think this has only happened once before since I started the column back in 2006.

Over the past several weeks, I’ve listed some great truths that little children have learned. I feel that adults deserve equal time, so here are six great truths that adults have learned:

— Raising teenagers is like nailing jelly to a tree.
— Wrinkles don’t hurt.
— Families are like fudge….mostly sweet, with a few nuts.
— Today’s mighty oak is just yesterday’s nut that held its ground.
— Laughing is good exercise. It’s like jogging on the inside.
— Middle age is when you choose your cereal for the fiber, not the toy.

My friend Judd Hirsch offered me some advice that I’d like to share. Judd said that we should make mistakes, but don’t regret them. We should learn from them, because regrets are the hardest things to carry when you get older. Advice worth heeding.

Looking across the lake, I can’t help but notice the brilliant colors in the trees. Some say that the colors are at their peak, while others say that we have one more week to experience the brilliance of Autumn. I’d love to be able to head north to see what True Pure Michigan has to offer with its breath taking display of God’s palette of colors. I’ve often felt that to experience the real Autumn colors, one should travel a bit north of Cadillac.

Here are nine powerful psychology truths of life:

— Silence is more powerful than trying to prove a point.
— When trust is broken, “sorry” means nothing.
— Control your actions, learn to react less.
— When you are honest, you lose people who don’t deserve you.
— One beautiful heart is worth more than 1000 beautiful faces.
— Never go back to somebody who has already broken you.
— Stop over thinking. You can’t control everything, just let it be.
— If somebody is stupid enough to walk away from you, be smart enough to let them go.
— True friends are very rare. If you have one, you’re very lucky.

See you Out and About!

Submitted by Norm Stutesman