Gimme Three Steps- The Old Man Slows Down

"I was scared and fearing for my life.
I was shakin like a leaf on a tree.
cause he was lean, mean,
Big and bad, lord,
Pointin that gun at me.
I said, wait a minute, mister,
I didnt even kiss her.
Dont want no trouble with you.
And I know you dont owe me
But I wish youd let me
Ask one favor from you.

(chorus)
wont you give me three steps,
Gimme three steps mister,
Gimme three steps towards the door?
Gimme three steps
Gimme three steps mister,
And youll never see me no more."

Gimme Three Steps- Lynrd Skynrd

Editor's note: The song really doesn't apply to this post, but I have been singing it all day long so I thought that I would include it.

The week is almost done. In a short while the old whistle will ring and I'll make like Fred Flintsone and slide down the dinosaur's tale and into a fabulous weekend. As I head to my car I'll notice that my legs feel like they are about to snap off at the waist and I'll wonder if I can get the kink of out my neck and whether that sore feeling I am experiencing is going to continue.

Four days of basketball. Four days of running, jumping and jostling. Four glorious days of testing my will and desire against my opponents. Four days in which I tried hard to convince myself that I am as good as I ever was are now over.

I feel exhilirated. I feel alive and I feel frustrated. The joy of competition and the adrenalin rush I get from playing is outstanding. I do my best to play with people who are better than I am. I like to test myself, test the limits and see where it goes.

This week I grudgingly accepted that in some areas age has caught up with me. It is not easy to admit. My ego hates to accept it, but the sad truth is that I have lost some foot speed. I am just not as quick on my feet as I used to be.

I like to think that if I trained hard enough I could turn it around. I like to think that if I really applied myself and worked at it, I could get back to where I was. The problem is that in order to try and do that I have to make some sacrifices. There is a lot of time involved in this and the only place that I can cut is family time, and that really isn't something that I can cut.

I can't miss any more moments with my children than I already do. FWIW, I don't miss many. It is part of being a father and a priority in my life.

However that doesn't mean that I have to like watching some guy on the court blow by me, especially when I know that if I still had the same foot speed I could keep up or do better. There, I have gone and said it. Now I sound like some of the guys that I used to make fun of. The older men who would brag about how good they used to be.

I don't want to be that guy. I intend to live in the present. I have a plan. I am going to dedicate myself to finding the fountain of youth. Once I go Ponce De Leon I am going to turn the knob back about 15 years or so.

That should work beautifully. Once again I'll run like the wind, eat whatever and whenever I want without a care for how many calories I am consuming. I won't even notice bruises, aches or pains. My super youthful healing system will resume working at hyperspeed and all will be well.

With my new old body I'll have more energy and be ten times more productive. Even better, with all of the wisdom and business sense I have accumulated I'll market my secret across the world. In no time at all I'll be so affluent that I'll be able to do whatever I want.

Maybe I'll go ahead and make myself into an international playboy, the American James Bond. Or maybe I'll just continue to live a simple life.

Ok, I have an active imagination, but why shouldn't I dream. Dreams are part of how we improve the world and ourselves. Who knows, maybe I will find that secret solution. Stay tuned.