You have a busy day ahead of you. Your schedule is filled with all kinds of things you had planned. You’ve gotten up, cleaned up, filled up, dressed up, prayed up, geared up, said your goodbyes, and headed out the door. You pull your keys from your pocket or your purse, sit down in your car, insert the key, and turn the ignition only to hear that sickening clicking sound, or perhaps nothing at all. All of a sudden, in a brief moment of time, your entire day has changed, and alternate plans have to be made.
Last week, this happened to Jean. Since Jean and I are both retired from full-time jobs now, we don’t drive as much as we once did. Her car had simply sat there too long without being cranked and driven. Fortunately, we have more than one vehicle. I searched for my handy-dandy booster cables, hooked them up from one car to the dead car, and boosted it off. She was off and running once again.
That incident reminded me of what happened to me a little over three months ago. Sometimes, these old bodies need a jumpstart. Right before Christmas, the week before, as a matter of fact, all my plans for the coming months came to a screeching stop. As you may already know, I found myself having unexpected heart surgery. My battery wasn’t dead, but it certainly wasn’t working right. Suddenly, I had to cancel outings and commitments at one of the busiest times of the year for me. For months now, I’ve missed out on getting to do many of the things I love. But the good news is, my doctors gave me a jumpstart, and things are getting back to normal.
I missed several weeks at Lanier Baptist Church, where I serve as pastor. Thankfully, I am back in full swing there. We had a wonderful Easter Sunday with a sunrise service, breakfast, and an Easter morning worship service.
I did not pick up my guitar, or any other musical instrument, until a few weeks ago. My fingers had even gotten soft, but I’m picking and strumming again. The Christmas and Valentine’s seasons are two of my busiest times for my storytelling, song singing, humorous alter ego, Brother Billy Bob. Those dates were all cancelled or postponed, but next week ole Billy Bob gets his own jumpstart as we dust off the rust and finally hit the road again. If you need to reschedule, call me.
My exercise for the past ten weeks has been a cardio rehab class at the hospital. This program has helped my jumpstart more than I can put into words. I’ve dropped a few pounds, gained a little breath, and learned how to eat better. Jean and I have started exercising together, too. Finally, last week, I played pickleball for the first time in over three months. That may not seem like such a big deal to you, but for the past few years, I’ve averaged playing about three times each week. Before that, for about 35 years, it was racquetball three times a week. It felt so good to see my Opelika Pickleball Club friends again. It felt good to play and not feel like I was about to pass out! I even won a couple of games!
Sometimes, a sudden stop forces us to slow down and regroup. I realize more than ever just how blessed I am to still be here and to be able to do the things I love to do with the people I love, especially my wife and family.
Bill King, a Rainsville native, is a columnist in the Mountain Valley News and North Jackson Press newspapers. He is a writer, musician, and author. King can be reached at [email protected].
