“IF YOU’VE GOT YOUR HEALTH…….”
When I was a kid growing up in Vero Beach, Florida I used to get so frustrated with the way the old people drove. Vero was a retirement community with no industry, no crime, and pretty much nothing at all to do, at least for a supercharged 16 year old who’d just gotten his first car. I wanted to go everywhere and get there FAST! The only problem was the 23 cars ahead of me in which not one driver saw OVER the wheel – they looked through the steering wheel.
We used to call Vero “Heaven’s Waiting Room” because all the old people came there to die. Man, I would get so upset that I couldn’t get around, under, over, through the car ahead of me because I was so much more important. At least that’s what I thought.
Vero Beach was and still is, the home of spring training for the LA Dodgers. Plus many multimillionaires who had earned their money came to the peaceful seaside town of Vero Beach as a reward for all their hard work. They wanted to escape the rat race I was trying to get in!
Of course, I didn’t get any of that. All I knew was they were a pain in the a$$ to me –I was ‘King Terry’ - the knower of all things and they should let me rule the world while I still knew EVERYTHING! Well, I slowed down to a crawl and then stopped because of an accident. I began to talk to the gentleman in the car ahead of me who had gotten out to help if necessary. We began to talk and visit and he was old and I mean old – he had to be in his early thirties, but was a tall in shape guy. He said his name was “Sandy” and he was in town visiting some friends. I introduced myself and we talked as the accident was cleared.
He told me how much he used to love to play catch with his dad and how baseball had been the love of his life. He spoke with such emotion I began to wonder why he was getting choked up. Heck, baseball’s just a ‘game’, right? Here I was a star high school football player and all this guy could do was talk about how he had hurt his arm and couldn’t play baseball anymore. I wanted to tell him about how great a football player I was, even better than that – I could tell Sandy what a great guy I was, but it never really came up.
The wreck had been cleared away and we were about to go on our separate ways. Here was a man telling me his intimate feelings about an injury that ended his baseball career and how deeply it hurt him. He was unassuming and polite and his main point was to tell me to live my life and enjoy my youth and health while I still had it. Not to take the gift of health for granted – I might not always be so lucky. I thought this guy’s going a little too far on the fatherly advice, but didn’t say anything. I had forgotten his name so I asked him what his full name was so if I ever saw him again I would know. At the time it didn’t mean too much to me, but it does now.
The man’s name was Sandy Koufax. This was a while ago so let me give you a little history lesson. Sandy Koufax was arguably the best left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball history and is a Hall of Fame inductee. He was lamenting how much his health meant to him and what a shame it is to grow old. The guy was only in his mid thirties!
The ONLY thing I have in common with Sandy Koufax is that belief. Our health is our number one gift in life – everything else follows. One can have money, fame, power, women, but without good health – none of those things mean anything. The reason I bring it up is Tuesday of next week I have my 23rd surgery. There is so much to be said for quality of life. If someone said to me, “Terry, would you rather be happy and healthy or filthy rich – which would I choose?” That’s easy. I’ve been famous (kind of) and rich (OK, almost) and neither made me happy. Do you know what did?
Glad you asked.
Feeling good is the best feeling in the world!
I know that’s a corny ending, but if it’s the truth……….
Take care until next
week,
Terry Taylor