If you missed Life’s Like That last week I must confess that I was indisposed in South Austin Hospital beginning recuperation from a complete knee replacement. With a new knee, an older new knee and a previous new hip that was done twice I am nearing the category of a bionic man. Anyway, that’s my excuse.

Now that I am home I have been forced to sleep on the opposite side of the bed from my normal position. In some ways it has given me a new outlook on life. You might call it looking at life from Lucille’s side of the bed. The first thing I noticed was the new pattern on the ceiling from the LEDs that keep our electronic world running. From her side there is a large silhouette of Mickey Mouse. The projection of the time provides him with a red nose. Almost weird, you don’t see any of that from my side of the bed.

The new knee is my Christmas present. I tell you it beats two front teeth all to pieces. For the last two years I have put it off. I could not bring myself to go back through the surgery routine. I finally was hurting more than I was willing to continue to enjoy. I’m not sure how these joints have gotten this way. The surgeon said this knee was one of the worst he had ever seen.

I never was a big jock in school. Played football about one semester at Lubbock Junior High School. I was more inclined to the academic competitions. I was a National Forensic League debater and entered some photo competitions but nothing more active than sand lot non-contact sports. Like most of my generation as I got older and more health conscious I took up jogging and ultimately long distance bicycling. I would like to blame the running for the shape of my joints but the orthodocs won’t give me that luxury. They simply mumble things like … “He’s in his seventies, you know.”

Well, I am going to show them now. With two working knees and an almost new bicycle, as soon as I can I plan to be back on the road. It was always one of my ambitions to be the eldest participant in the MS 150 bike ride from Houston to Austin. Or maybe from San Antonio to Corpus. I have done the Houston ride 9 times, three Austin to Dallas and the Texas Chain Ring Challenge three times. That’s not to mention the Hotter’n Hell Hundred in Wichita Falls in August three times.

What is the point of all this … I’m not sure I know. I just want to challenge you to never give up. Things look different from the other side of the bed and old age is never an excuse. If you need a new knee, go get one. If you are just looking for courage, you will find it where the cowardly lion did. Give yourself a medal and get a goin’.

It is good to be back. With a Bobcat team that showed us all how to be winners this year and national champs forty miles up the road how could we ask for a better Christmas!