Work smart, not hard

I try to stay away from the regret side of the life equation and dwell on the plus side. Today, I cleared the walk and driveway of six inches of snow. It took twice as long as it did twenty years ago. But I’m still at it.

Other friends spend productive energy cataloging the losses life has piled on them. Holy smokes, one friend has resorted to playing cribbage every day; a desperate move if I’ve ever seen one.

I’ve considered that most of them could continue doing many things they want to do with adaptive technology and methods of work.

My best example is gardening. Gardening was getting painful on my hands and knees. Thirty-inch-tall raised beds are allowing me to continue growing flowers and veggies. The added benefit is the carefully engineered soil within the beds. It’s much more productive and moisture-retentive than the rocky soil of my original planting beds. Why the hell didn’t I do it sooner? Well, in this instance, my decreasing abilities made me rethink my approaches to gardening. I either adapted or lose something I loved doing.

Will everything yield to this philosophy? I know it won’t. I’ve retreated on several fronts. I’ve stopped doing lots of remote video production. I’m well over seventy and enjoy my work’s creative and economic aspects. But no longer hump heavy equipment around, set up, breakdown and transport. I do not do any “hand-held” videography with full-size camcorders. Could I do it? Yeah, if I was boneheaded and willing to risk injury. But I’m not! – I defer to others. Let them have fun! I continue to carve but wisely have given up on the three-day boat shows I loved to do so much.

One of my models for this behavior was my uncle Lenny. Uncle Lenny kept a small landscaping company well past when others put aside rakes and shovels. He carefully selected jobs that benefitted from the creative/artistic flair he was known for. Later, he consulted on other jobs – selecting plants and designing planting areas.

A couple of things about this philosophy:

1.) it requires planning – Prior, Proper, Planning, Prevents, Piss Poor Performance

2.) Shit happens. I had to give up most of my daily practice in Iaido ( Japanese Swordsmanship) as my hips and knees aged beyond my ability to compensate. Eventually, accidents or age will create barriers I won’t be able to plan around. At my age, I am only one fall away from disaster.

Keeping the second point in mind makes me careful. I have to consider my path of action carefully. I need to worry about what happens when I can no longer adapt my way out of a significant problem. Like many creative people, I’ll probably find new interests that fit new limits.

It doesn’t matter how slow I go, as long as I do not stop – to paraphrase my favorite quote from Buddha.

Adapt; don’t give up.