I coulda been a contender

In my mind, anyway.  But it’s an Olympic year so I have to fantasize about how great an athlete I used to be.

To see me now you wouldn’t think that when I was young I was pretty athletic.  I played tennis almost every day, I cycled constantly and I helped form a fencing club in high school.  I sucked at middle distances but I was a good sprinter and long distance runner.

These days I’m a disabled old man.

To be honest I wasn’t in good shape even before I got this bad.

That I never pursued athletics is a major regret for me now.  I’m not saying that I would have made it to the Olympics.  I may never have amounted to much at all but I’ll never know.  I blame no one but myself and I realize that this is slightly delusional, but I’m human.  I think things like this from time to time.

I did have some athletic ability and I did not use my physical ability to its fullest.  But that isn’t really the point.  That is all in the past.  There’s a more important question.

What will I regret not doing 10 years from now?

Or to put that the way I mean it – what should I pursue now so I don’t regret not doing it 10 years from now?

That question is in no way limited to physical activity.