THE MENTAL SIDE CAN BE GOOD!
I looked up the word "life" over at my pal, Mr. Webster’s place, and found an interesting definition. It wasn’t the first one listed, but it wasn’t too far down either. And it fits right in with what Penthouse Dude, and I, have been stuck on lately.
Let me get of topic for a second and fill you in on where we are with my current time-out. Yes, for those wondering—I’m still on time-out from my football game, still scheming my fourth-quarter heroics, still putting the pieces together for the big third down I’m facing. Actually, let me correct that—WE’RE facing. Because this journey has turned into a WE situation, and I’m fully embracing that moving forward. The outpouring of care and support from all of you has been incredible, and I truly appreciate it.
Maybe that wasn’t as off-topic as I thought.
Back to what Mr. Webster says about life. One definition reads:
“The sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual.”
I’m not sure if I’ve ever looked up the definition of life before. Maybe back in school, but I doubt it. That would’ve required tracking down a physical dictionary, flipping through pages, and, well, let’s be honest—I wasn’t putting in that kind of effort back then.
Which brings me to a thought: do you realize we have more time available to us today than ever before? Let’s go back to the late ‘70s or early ‘80s. Looking up a word back then meant getting up, finding the dictionary, carrying it back, flipping through it, getting distracted for a few seconds (a skill I had mastered even then), writing down or absorbing what I found, putting the book away, and returning to whatever I was working on. Let’s say that took about four minutes.
Today? I looked up life in under 15 seconds. That’s a savings of 225 seconds. See? More time than ever.
But I digress—back to today’s subject.
I found that particular definition interesting. I didn’t expect it. And honestly, I even wondered if Penthouse Dude had something to do with it. Maybe he saw me Googling and, in a split second, made sure that’s what popped up on my screen. Can he do that? How do we know? He’s changed things in a split second before—back in September and even now. So yeah, I believe he can.
Damn, I can’t seem to stay on topic today.
Let’s try again. I woke up thinking about how much mental factors into our daily lives. That led me to Googling life, which led me to this definition that stuck with me. And you know what else sticks with me? How kids today spend so much time alone because parents won’t let them roam the neighborhood. Probably because my neighbors can’t take three seconds to stop at a four-way stop! Every day, I sit on The Front Porch watching car after car roll through and think—what the… (Still need a code word for the F word. Suggestions?)
Damn, off-topic again. Rough morning for focus.
One more try. If you’ve caught on by now, you already know—I can do this all day. I’m the master of taking the long way to make a point.
I spent my life physically busting my ass in an industry that required almost no mental effort. I was good at it—except for the most important part. The small mental side it required. I ignored that. And today, I’m paying the price. I cared about being the best at the physical part. Now, I can’t physically do much, and I’m trying to embrace the mental side of life.
It’s difficult, but it’s also enjoyable. Some days, I feel like I have control. Other days, I wonder. But every morning, Penthouse Dude reassures me I do. And I keep moving forward.
Mental challenges are real. I do well with mine, and I keep learning more about the mental process as I go. I’m no researcher—what I know is what Penthouse Dude teaches me, and that seems to be working.
For those who caught on to my little hidden message—I never actually got off-topic today. I just mentally jumped all over the place. That’s how I roll now. And you know what? I enjoy it.
Looking forward to mastering what I ignored for most of my life.
That’s it for today,
A Simple Man
Oh, look a P.S. – I am gonna have to put a bench out in the front yard and just video all those idiots!
Let me get of topic for a second and fill you in on where we are with my current time-out. Yes, for those wondering—I’m still on time-out from my football game, still scheming my fourth-quarter heroics, still putting the pieces together for the big third down I’m facing. Actually, let me correct that—WE’RE facing. Because this journey has turned into a WE situation, and I’m fully embracing that moving forward. The outpouring of care and support from all of you has been incredible, and I truly appreciate it.
Maybe that wasn’t as off-topic as I thought.
Back to what Mr. Webster says about life. One definition reads:
“The sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual.”
I’m not sure if I’ve ever looked up the definition of life before. Maybe back in school, but I doubt it. That would’ve required tracking down a physical dictionary, flipping through pages, and, well, let’s be honest—I wasn’t putting in that kind of effort back then.
Which brings me to a thought: do you realize we have more time available to us today than ever before? Let’s go back to the late ‘70s or early ‘80s. Looking up a word back then meant getting up, finding the dictionary, carrying it back, flipping through it, getting distracted for a few seconds (a skill I had mastered even then), writing down or absorbing what I found, putting the book away, and returning to whatever I was working on. Let’s say that took about four minutes.
Today? I looked up life in under 15 seconds. That’s a savings of 225 seconds. See? More time than ever.
But I digress—back to today’s subject.
I found that particular definition interesting. I didn’t expect it. And honestly, I even wondered if Penthouse Dude had something to do with it. Maybe he saw me Googling and, in a split second, made sure that’s what popped up on my screen. Can he do that? How do we know? He’s changed things in a split second before—back in September and even now. So yeah, I believe he can.
Damn, I can’t seem to stay on topic today.
Let’s try again. I woke up thinking about how much mental factors into our daily lives. That led me to Googling life, which led me to this definition that stuck with me. And you know what else sticks with me? How kids today spend so much time alone because parents won’t let them roam the neighborhood. Probably because my neighbors can’t take three seconds to stop at a four-way stop! Every day, I sit on The Front Porch watching car after car roll through and think—what the… (Still need a code word for the F word. Suggestions?)
Damn, off-topic again. Rough morning for focus.
One more try. If you’ve caught on by now, you already know—I can do this all day. I’m the master of taking the long way to make a point.
I spent my life physically busting my ass in an industry that required almost no mental effort. I was good at it—except for the most important part. The small mental side it required. I ignored that. And today, I’m paying the price. I cared about being the best at the physical part. Now, I can’t physically do much, and I’m trying to embrace the mental side of life.
It’s difficult, but it’s also enjoyable. Some days, I feel like I have control. Other days, I wonder. But every morning, Penthouse Dude reassures me I do. And I keep moving forward.
Mental challenges are real. I do well with mine, and I keep learning more about the mental process as I go. I’m no researcher—what I know is what Penthouse Dude teaches me, and that seems to be working.
For those who caught on to my little hidden message—I never actually got off-topic today. I just mentally jumped all over the place. That’s how I roll now. And you know what? I enjoy it.
Looking forward to mastering what I ignored for most of my life.
That’s it for today,
A Simple Man
Oh, look a P.S. – I am gonna have to put a bench out in the front yard and just video all those idiots!
— Thig on the Wheel spun by AI cleaning!