Getting Back to Good

The phrase “like riding a bicycle” implies that once you’ve learned some skill, you can always do it. When it comes to bicycles that may be true. If I had a bicycle handy, which I do not, I would go try it and report back to you.

There was a time when I was a decent bicycle rider. I know that because I remember my wife and I once participated in the Moonlight Ramble in St. Louis, Missouri. Here’s what their web site says about it:

The annual Moonlight Ramble® is the “World’s Original Nighttime Bike Ride” taking place in St. Louis, Missouri held at night near the full moon in August. Attracting thousands of riders each year, the event includes a leisurely bike ride through the closed streets of St. Louis, a street festival with entertainment, food and drink vendors, a commemorative glow-in-the-dark T-shirt, and an after-ride party with snacks and drinks.

The one happening this year is the 62nd edition, and we were in one where the edition number started with a 1. I’m not sure how many miles it was (13 miles?), but it was a blast. We did not receive a “commemorative glow-in-the-dark T-shirt.” We did get some kind of certificate, which my wife thinks we might still have.

Even after that I rode a fair amount. I had a fancy light-weight bicycle with lots of gears and an uncomfortable seat. Could I ride one again? I’m sure I could, but not with as much skill or speed or steadiness. That is also true for many other things that I could do once upon a time: run five miles; do 30 pushups; jump up and grab a basketball net; routinely reach par 5 holes in two shots.

My physical skills have diminished as my age has advanced, and that’s true for us all. But what about skills and abilities that are not physical? Are some of those still with me? Is it possible, in fact, that some are even better than they were? Yes, and yes.

Better with age

Pondering those questions reveals that I’m a little better at pondering than when I was young. In fact I did little pondering back then, if any. There was no need for it, because I knew all of the answers to everything. Perhaps you know someone like that, and if you do they are probably under 25 and not married. Marriage is well known for invoking the need to ponder.

In addition to thinking more often and more deeply, I’ve discovered that patience really is a virtue. I’m better at loving others, too, and want to keep improving. Basically I might say that my relational skills in general are continuing to grow.

I am less judgmental, perhaps because over the years I’ve made many mistakes of the kind I would once look askance at someone else for making. That spills over into being more forgiving, which is a very good thing. What I still have to work on in both of those is judging and forgiving myself. There is plenty of room for improvement there.

The last thing I’ll mention in this section is that I’m better with my time. That has nothing to do with it running out, although I know that motivates some folks. In reality none of us knows how much time we have left (ponder that!), but whether it is little or much, we should use it well. That’s part of the reason I started Do Good U, knowing that it will reach its greatest heights in the decades to come. Using time wisely includes planting and building for a future beyond your own. It also means spending more time with others, planting and building in them for their future.

Somewhere in between

While some of our abilities naturally wax and others naturally wane, there are those we can choose to grow or leave alone — the choices we make on a regular basis. In that group, three are essential to our health and well being: diet, exercise, and sleep.

Of those three, believe it or not, sleep might be the most important even though it is the one we think about the least. A lot of people belong to gyms, thousands of people buy diet books and programs, but few of us focus on sleep.

In real life, we need to be intentional about all three. Sleep experts say we should make it a habit to go to bed at the same time, get up at the same time, and make sure we are not looking at screens in bed before sleeping. Personally I have to focus on the going to bed part, because years ago I got into the habit of working in my home office until 1 or 2 a.m. I would still get up early for work, which meant I wasn’t sleeping enough. Unless four or five hours is enough, which, as you probably know, it is not.

Thanks to my wife becoming a plant-based/whole foods eater, my diet is much improved and still improving. I still love a good hamburger, but I prefer salad for dinner far more often. That’s because my food preferences have actually changed, and for the better, not for the butter.

We’ll skip exercise (see what I did there?), because there is one habit I want you to join me in forming and building: doing good.

To “do good” is to decide that the actions you take will be those that are beneficial to others and to your own well being. Choosing the right foods, choosing to exercise and choosing sleep are all “do good” choices. Taking time to listen to a friend who just needs to chat is doing good. Choosing to financially support a cause that does good is doing good. So is choosing to speak the truth, to drive with care, and to smile at people as you meet them walking on the street.

Like the habits of eating well and getting to bed earlier, “doing good” can be ignored. Don’t let that happen. Make doing good in your choices a priority. It is one habit I guarantee will improve your life at any age.

Get back to good… it’s in you!