Life is filled with so many wonderful things to do but if you aren’t doing them you aren’t really living.

I was looking at my profile today on a social media site and looked at a list of the things that I like to do and have done in my life. But, since my days of living in Germany and working full-time as an opera singer, most of the other things are no longer a part of my life. 

This must change, because when I think about my abilities I look back at some of these things and realize many of them shaped who I am as a person. 

My interests as a kid and a teen were varied. Obviously sports was a big part of my life. My friends and I played sports practically everyday. I didn’t play much organized sports, unfortunately, but we were always either playing basketball, football, golf, tennis or baseball/softball. 

Basketball was really the sport we spent the most time with, and despite how cold or hot it would get we would find a way to play hoops no matter what. Looking back on those games, we would play for at least 3 hours at a time, with breaks of course. So, looking at that number, you gotta figure we burned calories like tissue paper. I couldn’t gain weight back then if my life depended on it. 

Two summers, my friend and I would go to the high school on Tuesdays and Thursdays to play basketball and and lift weights. There was always a good number of guys there and really, this is where I first played against kids of a different color very much. 

That old gym wasn’t air-conditioned and the locker rooms were old and smelly and there was one weight machine for everyone to use. In the heat of the Kentucky summers, we sweated and drank water as if there wasn’t any water in the world left! 

After the game, we would hit Baskin Robbins for a triple dip of ice cream. That was awesome. 

In the long summer months, when we weren’t playing basketball or working we would all meet at 7:00 a.m. at the local golf course and play 18 holes, before 11:00 a.m., after that it would be too hot to play until evening. That was great, to get up and get out there before everyone showed up! I never was a great golfer, but I usually was able to play with the same ball the whole round and avoid embarrasing myself too much. 

Our afternoons would often be spent at the lake sailing. My brother developed a love for sailing when he took part in a regatta with our Doctor. They won their division and after that my brother loved it. This sparked my interest and to be honest the first couple of times out, I thought we would capsize. Eventually we would, and then on my friends Sunfish, we would capsize on purpose, swim around and use the boat as a float, then right the boat and sail on. 

Sometimes we would spend the night on the boat. One night, we had anchored in a cove and a huge storm came up, thunder and lightning everywhere. With an aluminum mast, you start to wonder if it is a good idea to be out there or not. 

Finally the storm receeded and we feel asleep, rocking with the small waves of the lake. I woke up the next morning and went on deck to the most glorious day I had ever seen. It was a pristine morning, crisp clear air, everything had water on it, so the world was glistening in the morning sunrise, which was stunningly beautiful. 

We sailed all day, swam and sailed again in a breeze that only comes on the back end of a cold front. It was prime sailing weather. Gorgeous. 

We put in and put the boat up and took a shower in the bath house and got cleaned up. We drove back to town, about 30 minutes away and met some friends for pizza. 

After a great night and a beautiful day of sailing you feel so relaxed and healthy. 

So, my memories of basketball, golf, sailing, swimming, playing football and every now and then tennis, make me want to get back to it and start ”living” again. 

You know, working full time at a grocery store didn’t earn me much money, but it was enough money to be able to live on my own and do some of the things that I enjoy. I had a car, an apartment and it was pretty good actually. 

Going into music and voice really took a lot of that away from me. Playing sports and being active, doing physical work gave me a physicality and confidence of stature that many singers often struggle with.  

I’ve got to get some of that back, no matter what.