This Is What I Do: Create

 I often wonder how my life would be if I had not taken the paths that I did. There was a time when I thought about majoring in art in college. One or two classes with the art prof convinced me that that was not going to be a great career choice. I don't know whether it was lack of talent, or just that the professor and I didn't have the same meeting of the minds. I loved making art then as much as I do now, but my kind of art didn't fit into the "frame" that the prof set forward. Now days, I am sure that artists in the making are given much more freedom than we were in the early 1960s. Then there was the girl that I dated forever. All the way through HS and my first year of college. She was a real sweet gal and we enjoyed each other's sense of humor and had a great time together. I wonder how life would have gone if she and I had continued life together. Probably not too well. I think she advanced beyond me after she finished college and moved on to work for ...

 Life today is really hard. It's hard growing old. Your body is tired, your mind is tired, and generally life seems to suck most of the time. There aren't a whole lot of bright spots anymore, not much to look forward too. Life seems to be one doctor appointment after the other for one or more ailments. Arthritis is not for sissies, either. It hurts. I have a bum shoulder which give me pain most of the time. I fell on it years ago and damaged the muscles and tendons, but didn't break anything. Now, I have developed arthritis in that shoulder, and my Doc tells me that the shoulder joint is now "bone on bone," which is what causes the most pain. Some days are worse that others, but it aches almost constantly. I try not to complain to people because 1. It doesn't help and 2. I don't want to be thought of as a wuss. So, I just muddle on and fake feeling good most of the time. I fell last fall and broke my foot, and have now got to contend with residual arthriti...