I used to have a lot of oomph. I think most of had it when
We were young. You woke up and got out of bed. And then,
You were off to the races. Brush your teeth, get dressed, tie
Your shoes, chow down breakfast and go oft school. Recess
Came and you flew out the classroom door ran out to the
Playground. Your feet flew into the air and you ran and ran and ran
Until time was up and you needed to return to your class.

If there was snow outside you ran home, put on your winter coat
And your boots .. grabbed your sled and off you went to the
Big hill across the street. You ran up that hill like it was nothing ..
Just nothing .. and sleighed down as fast as your could. And, you
did It again and again and again and again. Not once did you stop to
Think if you were tired or out of energy. Or, if another ride was worth
The effort.

I used to conquer the stairs in our apartment building with the same
Gusto. We lived on the sixth floor. When it was time to go out I ran
To the staircase and leaped six or eight stairs at a time. Two or three
Leaps and one staircase was done. And then, onto the next one. More
Leaps. Dong .. dong .. dong. Did I ever think I would hurt myself? Or,
Break a bone? Nah. That thought never crossed my mind. The game
Was all about how fast I could leap down six flights of stairs. It was a
Game between me and me and it was a ton of fun.

Other times, I would get into a snowball fight. It would just start innocently.
One kid would throw a snowball. And, the other kid would return the
Throw. And, before you knew it it was a war that went on for what seemed
Like forever. Did we stop to eat lunch? No. Did we stop for a drink. No.
We just continued to war until our hands were so cold we couldn’t feel
Our fingers.

And, then the years just past us by. We were 20 and 40 and 60 and we
Hit our mid-70s. We still played some physical games. We ran and swam
And knocked a ball around on a court. Until… the oomph hit some of us.
Getting up in morning was a an Oy. Tying your shoes was an Ay Ay. Taking
A walk was okay until you realized your needed to walk back home.

Didn’t they sell a product in the 1960s called, Geritol? It was supposed to
Treat “tired blood”. “Just two tablespoons would provide you with the
Iron of two pounds of calves liver.” Oh, what an image that was.

And, didn’t they sell Brylcreem? A Product that would give life to your dry hair.
“A little dab will do you.” While it didn’t actually give you ooph, It was more
Of a psychologic boost to your tired life.

So, now we’re in the comps years. My mother used to call them the OY
Years. Everything hurts. Everything is an effort. Getting into forward
Motion is a bit like moving a locomotive. It’s a slow push, mostly uphill
To get the ball rolling. And, then all is good until you stop for a breather.
Maybe you sit on a bench for a while and take in the fresh air. It’s
Usually a nice reprieve from the walk. Until. .. you need to get the
Locomotive back into gear.

Maybe some Brylcreem isn’t such a bad idea. What would be wrong
With a little dab that will do ya?