A Wasted Life

I've just recently returned to the US
after nearly six years in foreign service.
I've banked a lot of coin doing some
dangerous work and have a nice nest egg
that will bring me the luxury of free time
and time to pursue interests other than the
drudgery of some banal job. I have so many stories
of the places I've been and the people I've met that
I just feel compelled to share them here. But
that is for another day.

I finally settled in last night and began catching-up
on what has been going on in the bodybuilding world
since I've been away. I'm dismayed by how many
bodybuilders with whom I was familiar have died, or
are deathly ill, Ron Teufel, Paul DeMayo,
Don Youngblood, both of the Metzers, Sonny Schmidt,
Chris Ben Wah. Then there are those who are on death's
doorstep Tom Prince, Mike Matarazo, Bert Schuh. And for what,
some curled-up, yellowing photos of yesteryear and a
trophy from the 99 cent store.

I went back to my old stomping ground
which has since changed
franchises to Powerhouse gym. Other than that,
it's nearly entirely the same. The front desk clerk was
the same eight-dollar-an hour loser from nearly ten years
ago who was still
planning to "go pro" - despite the fact that he's in his late
forties, balding has a nasty abdominal scar from
some botched surgery and the genetics of a fireplug.
We chatted briefly as I payed my one day membership.
He rambled on about some cocktail of chemicals he using
to become a "freak." We ended our chat, he later closed up
the gym and he hopped on his bicycle to ride back to his
roach infested apartment over the deli.

What's the moral of the story? I can't believe how many
hours of my life I wasted in the gym. Bert Schuh will agree.
Look at him today, a body literally destroyed by drugs,
impotent, aged beyond his years, a trivial life expectancy remaining,
unemployed, living hand to mouth and trying to peddle some
home made drum kits that look
like a project by the kid who failed wood shop.

Get out of the gym and live a life.
Just thought I would share my thoughts

PB

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