Old
Dog vs New Tricks
“you can't teach an old dog new trick.”
Saying said to mean that it is very difficult to teach someone new skills or
to change someone's habits or character. ~Cambridge Dictionary
I’ve often said that I tolerate change when necessary for
improvement, but never for change sake.
I also embrace the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” adage.
Having explained my philosophy of life in a nutshell, I’m
about to turn my firm habits upside down.
Please bear with me and understand that I am not trying to convince you
of anything. Two weeks into this new
direction and already I can’t imagine not having tried this much earlier.
I’ve been retired from my career for a while now and my one
on one interaction with people is limited to a handful of friends that have
stuck together for around 30 years. As you might imagine we have more than a few
similarities in our lives. We are said
to be set in our ways. We mostly don’t disagree because many of our differences
have been settled early on.
My one lasting influence is and has (seems forever) been my
wife. She isn’t just my wife and friend,
but more importantly my oldest most reliable and only partner in business and
life. I had the opportunity and made the decision to retire early,
she on the other hand was a bit younger and decided to keep working at her
career.
Best to start them young
Here is the rest of the story. She is still getting out in the work world
and learning and sharing information. She
recently came home with information that some people she knows had purchased
medical marijuana medication for mundane ailments and were pleasantly surprised
that it worked better than some expensive pain medication they had been using.
In an effort at full disclosure: 1) I’ve never used any kind of illegal or
recreational drugs, I even avoid prescription and over the counter pain killers
at any cost. I never picked up the habit
of smoking cigarettes; first because I felt the 25 cents a pack was ridiculous
when as a teenager I was making 80 cents per hour, secondly because I loved participating
in school sports, you could be dropped from the team if caught smoking or
drinking. 2) we are fortunate that Washington State is a legal marijuana State.
My wife insisted that I try the medication for back pain
(the price I pay for a lifetime of daredevil auto and motorcycle sports racing). I promise you that I was not an easy
sell. I grew up with an image of shady
dark alley transactions that people relied on to acquire their illicit
supplies. To be continued. Look for part 2 to be titled: “Medical
Alternatives.” The best is yet to come……..
