{"id":1685,"date":"2020-03-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-24T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/?p=1685"},"modified":"2021-10-16T14:09:46","modified_gmt":"2021-10-16T18:09:46","slug":"22-the-go-go-slow-go-and-no-go-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/azadkinsiii.com\/blog\/22-the-go-go-slow-go-and-no-go-years\/","title":{"rendered":"#22 – The Go-Go, Slow-Go, and No-Go Years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Trivia Questions\n(Answers @ end)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. In what movie (and who said it) did we hear, \u201cFree your mind.\u201d<\/em>?<\/li>
  2. Who said, \u201cSuccess is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.\u201d<\/em>? <\/li>
  3. In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following lyrics?
    I\u2026 Can turn the gray sky blue<\/em>
    I can make it rain, whenever I want it to, oh I<\/em>
    I can build a castle from a single grain of sand<\/em>
    I can make a ship sail, on dry land tell ’em yeah<\/em>
    But my life is incomplete and I’m so blue <\/em><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n
    <\/div>
    Blog #22 (Audio)<\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>

    Listen to the audio of this blog, read by Andy Adkins. Click the \u201cAudio<\/strong><\/em>\u201d button below.<\/p>\n<\/div>

    Published: <\/span>October 16, 2021<\/span><\/div>
    <\/div>Audio by Andy Adkins<\/a><\/div><\/form><\/span>0<\/span> Downloads<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>
    <\/div>\n\n\n
    \n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m writing this blog post on Friday, March 20, 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When I started “A Veteran’s Journey<\/em><\/strong>” blog last November (Veteran\u2019s Day), I had an initial list of about 30-40 blog \u201ctopics.\u201d That list is now up to about 60. I’ve found that when I write about one thing, something else may pop into my mind. And so, the list continues to grow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I can think of all kinds of things to write about now regarding this current COVID-19 crisis. But, that\u2019s already “well-covered” all over social media and the news, so I won\u2019t add to it. Instead\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u2026 if I can continue to stick to a routine that helps me stay in the \u201cnormal\u201d zone (whatever that is), then that\u2019s what I\u2019m going to do. That, of course, may change in the not-too-distant future, but for now, here\u2019s this week\u2019s blog. I hope it brings you a smile and that it helps you through your day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The year 2000 was sooooo <\/em>far away<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Back in the 70s when I was in the Navy (\u201973-77), I was still a \u201ckid,\u201d like most of us were when we first joined the military. It doesn’t matter if you were Navy, Army, Marine, Air Force, or Coast Guard. We were all <\/em>young when we joined. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    An 18-year-old kid with a lot of responsibility. That\u2019s how old I was when I reported to my first duty station, NAS Agana, Guam<\/em><\/strong>. I was an ABH (Aviation Boatswain\u2019s Mate-Handler) and assigned to the Crash & Rescue crew. I\u2019d been through six weeks of training, had literally walked through fires in my training (yes, I was wearing an asbestos fire suit), and knew what to do and when to do it. Didn\u2019t we all?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Our job in Guam was to be on call if a plane crashed or had an emergency. We had five firetrucks and one tanker, if memory serves. Our motto was, and still is, “You light ’em, we fight ’em.<\/em><\/strong><\/a>” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We were not only the firefighters for Navy aircraft, but we were also on call for civilian aircraft, since commercial jet liners used the same runways; the civilian airport was on the other side of the landing field. We probably had as many emergency calls for civilian aircraft as Navy aircraft; thankfully, no crashes while I was stationed in Guam. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    NAS Agana, Guam (1974)<\/em><\/strong>
    Gary Borne, John O’Mara,
    Gary Cuzner (R.I.P.), Glenn Law
    (Click to enlarge)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    In Guam, we ran two shifts: \u201cPort\u201d and \u201cStarboard.\u201d I was Port. All that meant was that I worked the first <\/em>24-hour shift (yes, that was supposed <\/em>to be a joke)\u2026 we worked 24 hours on and 24 hours off. And, I might add, we did that for 15 straight months. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Initially, our shift change was at noon. However, not long after I arrived, the Division Chief (Bos\u2019n Joye) changed it to 0800. That was a much better time to change shifts and gave us a full<\/em> day for fun in the sun. After all, we were on a paradise island. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When I was 18 years old in 1973, I didn\u2019t think much about the year 2000. I don’t think any of us did. It was \u201cages\u201d away. I do remember talking with a good friend of mine, Glenn Law<\/strong>, about how old we\u2019d be in the year 2000. I figured since I was born in 1954, I\u2019d be 45 years old. Holy Toledo, that<\/em> (back then) was old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Of course, now at the age of 65, my thinking has somewhat\n\u201cshifted.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Glenn, BTW was with me both in Guam and aboard USS Kitty Hawk<\/em><\/strong>. He stayed in for a Navy career and (I believe) is living in the Oakland area. I was only in for four years\u2014that\u2019s all I wanted to do at the time. Those were great years, though\u2026 many great memories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Have You Ever Heard\nthe Term\u2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Several years ago when my wife, Becky, and I were\napproaching retirement age, we heard the term, \u201cThe Go-Go, the Slow-Go, and the\nNo-Go\u201d Years<\/em><\/strong>. Neither of us had heard that before, but when you\u2019re\nplanning for retirement, it\u2019s one of those things that you need to figure into\nyour financial calculations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    From what I understand, the \u201cGo-Go<\/strong>\u201d Years typically occur when you first retire (for us, age 65). Some people do a lot of traveling, a lot of socializing, and a lot of visiting. That period of time usually lasts for about ten years (or that\u2019s what the financial planners tell you). Of course, it\u2019s very subjective, depending on health, finances, and your current situation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    After that, you hit the \u201cSlow-Go<\/strong>\u201d Years, where you still travel, but perhaps not as frequent and not as far. I get it, but I also know that many of us may not think in these “exact” terms. That\u2019s okay, just stay with me here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The last \u201cphase,\u201d if you want to call it that, is the \u201cNo-Go<\/strong>\u201d Years. That\u2019s when you\u2019re typically in a retirement community, assisted living, or somewhere similar. You simply don\u2019t travel much, primarily because you don\u2019t move as well as you used to, or you need some assistance. It could be any number of situations. Again, this is all very <\/em>subjective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So, there you have it in a nutshell: the Go-Go, Slow-Go, and No-Go Years. At least, as it was explained to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But Wait, There\u2019s\nMore!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    Now that I\u2019ve got you thinking\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I have a 91-year-old<\/em> neighbor down the street who lives alone (his kids are out of state). He still travels (alone) to visit them, but I\u2019ve also seen him working out in his yard, mowing, raking, pruning crape myrtles and hedges, and… on a ladder. I also see him at the local YMCA on the weight floor. He ain\u2019t in the \u201cSlow-Go\u201d or the \u201cNo-Go\u201d Years yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yeah, \u201cbe like Bill<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Becky\u2019s mother is 99 years old<\/em>. She lives close to us in a retirement community \u2013 one that progresses from a house\/villa\/apartment to assisted living to skilled nursing. She and her husband moved into a house there years ago, knowing that was the plan: Go-Go, Slow-Go, and No-Go. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    She\u2019s in the \u201cNo-Go\u201d Years, but is still pretty peppy, still tries to write notes to family members, and relives a lot of old memories. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When she and her younger 90-year-old<\/em> sister (who still travels alone from Tennessee) get together and start to reminisce, well\u2026 I just have to chuckle to myself when I hear some of the things these young ladies<\/em> did when they were kids. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No, it wasn\u2019t the, \u201cHere, hold my beer\u201d kind of stuff, but for a couple of girls who grew up in the Boston area in the 20s & 30s, well, let\u2019s just say I was shocked more than once. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Yeah, \u201cbe like Marion and Doris<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    “Unraveling” the Later <\/em>Years<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019ve heard that getting old can be likened to unwinding a roll of toilet paper. This may not be an appropriate analogy given our current “TP” state of mind, but stay with me here. This is good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    When you get that fresh new roll of toilet paper and start to use it, it comes off the roll rather slowly. But, as you get closer to the end of the roll, it appears to unwind rather quickly, wouldn\u2019t you say? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I\u2019m not sure how that applies to getting older, but I think it\u2019s a relativity thing. But for me, it does seem that the older I get, the faster life seems to pass me by. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    “Relativity explanation”
    Deep Blue Sea<\/strong>
    (Click to view scene on YouTube)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    There\u2019s a great line in the movie, Deep Blue Sea<\/em><\/strong> (1999). \u201cPreacher\u201d (LL Cool J) says to “Tom Scoggins,” (Michael Rapaport) a Harvard PhD: \u201cEinstein\u2019s theory of relativity. Grab a hold of a hot pan, a second can seem like an hour. Put your hands on a hot woman, an hour can seem like a second. It\u2019s all relative<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Stay healthy, stay safe, and “wash your hands.” We will get through this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Until we meet again,<\/em>
    Andy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"NEVER<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Andy Adkins is a US Navy veteran (\u201973-77) and the author of several books. His newest novel, NEVER FORGET, is the story of A Vietnam Veteran\u2019s Journey for Redemption & Forgiveness. NEVER FORGET is FREE (eBook, PDF) for all veterans. Download your FREE<\/strong> copy HERE<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Previous blogs mentioned in this post:<\/p>\n\n\n\n