New Year's resolve

Early morning , Place Massena, Nice

Today I got to see by video that the Ducks won the Rose-bowl in Pasadena.   And what a game, 28-27 against the Wisconsin Badgers.  It was a game you might say was scripted by Hollywood,  never a dull moment.  Both college teams were excellent.

 I started reflecting a few days ago, what it means to "play".  The cat ( Mozzi) plays even though he is middle aged ( 10 years old).   He makes up games for us to engage in when he is bored and insists that we play.

 We see children play all the time.... but older adults give up playing unless they have a round of golf or bridge from time to time.  

So to see that my brother, who attended the University of Oregon and worked there,  has a passion for the teams and coaches of the Oregon "Ducks" is a healthy thing...a good thing.  Even more so as my other two brothers share his enthusiasm and it brings them all closer together.

Dave told me on our trip that his admiration is not just in the winning but it is about the overall coaching and the recruiting of a team of athletes and (good scholars too) who epitomize team work.   He follows the women's teams too that have their own ratings.  But this is just a side of him.  He is also an accomplished musician, poet and nature lover, husband and father.

  My family was never encouraged to be athletic.   My sister does ballet every week but she was never given lessons as a child.   Now she is on "pointe" shoes and it is a big part of her week.  And she is just a few years younger than I am!  Dave and I do walking, weights, pilates and did tennis in the past...but were never part of a team.  My other brothers are pretty active as well and Jim definitely knows how to be playful. 

So yes, there is something that we can take away from this kind of team building and play.  One is that hard work equals joy in accomplishment and joy is contagious. 

I  admit that I was depressed yesterday,  the let down of trying to regain my enthusiasms after the highs of Thailand and then a whole night of singing and partying across the street for"Réveillon" left me cranky and searching for some answers.

I am feeling a lot more chipper today because I finally broke a long spell of relative inactivity ( no organized exercise while in Thailand).  This morning I got myself up at 5am to pump up my bike tires and take the thing out before the traffic started up.    I went to the port and back and that was enough to get the juices flowing...especially the endorphins.    

I did it early because during the sunny hours this time of year the Promenade is full of hundreds of people strolling, riding, skate- boarding, walking dogs, using scooters and trying out remote controlled cars on the sidewalk and bike path.  Frankly unless you have excellent reflexes and want a frustrating ride,  daylight is not a good time to go.

So I have decided this year to include two things.... The first one is to play just for the hell of it...like kids do. ...to find something playful to do just for the laughs and joy.

 The second thing is to do physical exercise almost every day.  It doesn't have to be a sport,  I just need to get myself moving. 

   I don't usually do New Year's resolutions but for a lazy sod like me, it's a good idea to start with the brain.  As the ad says,  "Just do it".