Go Oilers!

It’s hockey season in Canada and the U.S.!

You want to know how I know?

I live on the side of a highway, and the road is bare. There’s blue sky, budding green spring trees, and the playoffs on SportsNet.

The Alberta’s Oilers is battling for the final round with Dallas as they aim their hockey sticks towards the “hardest trophy to win” (r/unpopularopinion•1 yr. ago), the Stanley Cup.

In Alberta, at least northern Alberta, everyone is being forgiven when they wear their Oilers jerseys to work. Hockey-happy teachers have some sympathy for their sleepy students, especially the kids who play hockey because they were allowed to stay up later than bedtime so they could watch the game. Those who don’t watch hockey, are enjoying the beautiful evening watering their gardens.

Fans everywhere are watching with eager joy. Shouting their team on whenever a player gets the puck to the goal. Questioning and scrutinizing every penalty against their favourite team. Break out the Cheezies! It’s going to be a fun night.

Are you a person who loves watching others live their lives on TV, or TikTok, or YouTube, or another channel?

OR,

Are you the type who would rather live life instead of watching others live their lives?

I’m the second. I love living life. I wake at four, hearing the birds already singing, and the sun is already climbing onto the horizon. If I don’t have to go to work, I make it to the Grand Prairie Recreation Centre. It’s a great place. There’s a pool, there a very large workout gym, there’s a walking track, and hockey rinks, and ball courts, and the pool. Oh yes, the pool! It’s the greatest pool that I’ve ever been in. Or should I say, ‘pools’. They have a variety of pools.

Right after my crash, I started going to the pool as often as I could. Instead of sitting or lying around while waiting for my bones to heal, I did the opposite. I started working out.

Of course, I couldn’t work out by doing sit-ups and squats; not with a dislocated toe, broken ribs, and a fractured spine. I couldn’t run, nor use my rowing machine. Not with a clavicle broken in three different places. So, I went to the pool because water will make my body buoyant. When I first started, I was limping. I couldn’t take off my shoes to walk, I was too weak to open a door so into the pool I went. Thank you, Grande Prairie, Alberta, for building a Lazy River pool. At first, I did maybe one or two laps before sitting in the hot tub. I felt pretty proud when I made it to four laps. By the end of May, I was up to 24 laps, with plenty of variety in walking forwards, backwards, skipping, jogging, lunging, and so on. I couldn’t swim because I couldn’t turn my sore arm in a circle. Eventually, I did, and on my way to or from the steam and sauna rooms, I started swimming. I started with a floating board in case I couldn’t make it and drowned. Wouldn’t that be something after coming back from a major crash.

My point is. Yes! Finally!

My point is that I did not let myself believe that I was going to be disabled and an invalid. It’s very likely that my injuries and brain injury will come back to me when I’m about eighty years old. By then, I will have invented the cell regenerating machine. Or someone else has beaten me to it. By that age, I’ll be rich enough that I can own my own cell regenerating machine; Great for:

- Healing what ails ya,

- Recovering from major sicknesses, and

- Even resurrecting someone who’s died. Of course, the machine will have to be used immediately.

Yes, I’m thinking of a possible invention in your era. Okay, I’m off track.

My point is that I would rather live life than watch others living life. Watching TV, TikTok or others isn’t living. It’s entertaining, it can even be educational, but it isn’t living your own life. I want to live my life like an adventure. I want to gather new experiences like a rake gathers leaves. That’s what we are given our lives for. Life is for the living! Use your life! Live your passions! Enjoy being with others. Take a risk. Learn. Laugh. Love.

Live Life.

Make it your own life.