Old-School JSF'ers........

Justitia, I am so sorry for your terrible loss.
LateStart, am glad you have found someone after your tragic loss.

Well this appears to be the thread to stop in and explain our absence. I posted about a year ago, that I was back after open heart surgery, and ready to start a new fitness journal. Well that didn't happen. And I am not going to make any commitments or promises this time.

It is a pleasure to drop in, see who is still here and what they are doing. Things have slowed down, but I still see a lot of familiar names.

As for us, the short story is, life took a turn and I am now retired in Knoxville, Tennessee.

I had my aortic valve replaced at the end of May last year. Then my Mom passed away at the end of June, after a long battle with dementia. Early September, a week before I returned from my medical leave, my employer of 33 years called to tell me they put someone else in my management position, (at 60% of my pay, I found out later), and I would be moved to a "special projects" position. The company was, and still is, struggling, so shortly after my return in September, they laid off around 40 people. I made it through that, but in October, myself and several other, senior, higher paid, employees were asked/told to retire by the end of the year.

This could be an unhappy story, being told to retire at 60, with a meager severance, less than expected retirement funds, and no health insurance. But everything aligned, and we are more happy than ever.

As sad as the loss of my Mom was, she had done well with her investments. The IRA's that got divided up between my sisters and I, allowed my wife and I to come down to Knoxville and buy a nice home. I officially retired on December 31st, and we moved south the first week of January. Our Illinois home finally sold in February.

We love it here. We have a nice home, in a nice neighborhood, and are now only two hours from our Granddaughters. The wife is going to school at UT, and I will be looking for a simple job soon. Something meaningful and enjoyable.

And the view from our front window is wonderful. We can see the Smoky Mountains.


I've also lost some weight during this ordeal. I am back under 180lbs.

So that is my long winded story.

Hope everyone is well.

 

Bob!

 

Bob, sorry for the loss of your mother.

Also, I'm glad to read that your day to day situation is working out just fine for you and your wife.

 

Dude!

Thanks!
It was very sad, and yet somewhat of a blessing. She basically was lost to us a couple years ago, due to Alzheimer's. Not the way anyone should end their life.

And yes, things are going very well in Tennessee. The forced retirement is indeed another mixed blessing.

 

HI

 

I saw this thread and had to check in. I've been on JSF for 13 years! John got me serious about lifting and nutrition back in the Swolecat days (ephedrine and caffeine pills anyone?) and I also used Aram. It seems like a lifetime ago.... I've remained completely committed to exercise and healthy living throughout. Still lift three times a week, but my main focus switched to MMA about three years ago and I train that 6-7 hours a week. Bodyfat is sitting at 12% and I can hold my own fighting 20-somethings all day (at 53).

I would not (in any way, shape or form) be in this kind of condition, if it wasn't for John. He provided the initial spark and kept me going for a lot of years by inspiring me. I don't check the site often, but it still holds a lot of importance for me.

 

hi

 

Hey Folks!

I haven't been around much in a really long time! Like a lot of people my forum use was generally replaced by social media use, but social media has gotten to be such an upsetting distraction - with so little control over what you want to see at any given time - that I've been looking for places that work more on a human pace with human scope, and of course I remembered this awesome place and came on by to see it was still running!

Condolences for all the loss everyone has experienced over time, especially Justitia, LateStart and Bob. Glad to hear people are also experiencing good things.

For me as for a lot of people, this site was really transformational - I developed a lasting enthusiasm for weightlifting and fitness, though of course at various times I have been more fit than at others. I did Crossfit for about 4 years, where I met my fiancee - we're getting married this year. Unfortunately I also suffered a pretty bad hip/back injury - not bad enough to require surgery, but bad enough that I was in physical therapy for more than a year to recover.

During that rehab time I gained a fair amount of weight, and of course wasn't going to do Crossfit anymore afterward. I need to be able to go at my own pace in order to manage things like pelvic tilt and lower back stability appropriately. I joined a fitness club fairly near my house and had a good time there getting back into lifting, but my real project has been building a garage gym, which I'm hoping to complete with a power rack my fiancee and I registered for for our wedding.

But yeah, I've had a lot of adventures this place made possible - the change in mindset as much as anything - Spartan Races, Ragnar Relays, hikes and treks - I got into bike commuting, which I will be starting again once there isn't snow on the ground anymore.

I'm 37 now, so fitness is a different thing for me than it was 14 years ago. But it's been really useful - and one thing I have realized more and more with each year is how much, for some people, and for me, it benefits from a supportive, positive environment.

Even if like a lot of internet forums this one is pretty quiet now I'm glad the torch is still burning - I have a lot of work to do to get back into proper shape myself (which, cliche of cliches, I want to do by my wedding in September), and I'm psyched to see John himself is getting back at it as well.

Miss you all, hope you are all well, and as I think Rocky might have put it in one of he lesser films, "I ain't heard no bell!"

 

Boo

 

AAAAAAHH!!

Don't scare me like that!