Linsey Lanier
Sally Kilpatrick
Sia Huff
Romily Bernard
Darcy Crowder
Marilyn Baron
Tami Brothers
Sandra Elzie
Carol Burnside
Debbie Kaufman
Maxine Davis
Tammy Schubert
Susan Carlisle
Pam Asberry
Lindy Chaffin StartYou’re never too old…to do what you love!
My husband and I have been married for nearly seventeen years now.
Happily married I might add. He’s a great guy. His laid back attitude and eternal good cheer are in direct contrast with my surly nature and fiery personality. We’re opposites in every way…right down to our food choices.
When I ask him what he loves about me, he says, “I like that you’re passionate about things.” You see, to him, my short fuse is nothing more than passion.
Go figure.
To my parents, my so-called passionate nature is nothing less than eternal spoiled rotteness.
When my husband asks me what I love about him, well, the list is endless.
I think he’s a saint…he puts up with me. He’s an amazing father, patient and understanding. And, well, he’s no shlump in the sack either.
But I also love his tenacity.
My husband played football in college, special teams and running back. He’s always been an incredible athlete. In fact, I met him in college. He was a nationally ranked power lifter at the time and I fell head over heels for him the minute I saw him in the gym.
But, back to football.
He hasn’t played the game he loves in over twenty years. I know he missed the old pig-skin, but he’s not only a great person, but a responsible, working adult. He has a family to provide for and he’s spent the years taking care of me and our two kids.
Time for football just wasn’t in the cards.
Plus, he’s going to be 43 years old this July. Not ancient by any means of the word, but for a football player, a little over the hill.
But six months ago, with more time on his hands (thank you promotion) he began working toward a goal. Football. He’s been training hard, eating right and hitting the gym. And about a month ago, my 43 year old husband tried out and made Atlanta’s own Jetts semi-pro football team.
He told me about his accomplishment after the fact.
Was I angry? Not at all. I was thrilled. He set a goal, worked toward that goal and achieved the goal.
He’s my hero.
Watching him alter his physique (umm, Dusty was a hottie to begin with, but adding inches to his biceps and breadth to his already wide shoulders was just icing on the cake!) and don his practice jersey every weekend in anticipation of training makes me want to achieve my own goals even more.
You’re never too old…to do what you love, whether it’s football, skydiving (I read an article on an 80 year old woman parachuting out of a plane, no kidding) or even writing the novel of your heart.
All it takes is a dream and the will and like my darling husband, even your goals can be achieved!
Have a happy day!
Tamara
Oh, and P.S., have you ever done anything other people might consider you “too old” for?
I’d love to hear from you!
Tags: Tamara deStefano
About the author
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Tamara DeStefano | I'm a writer, reader, movie junkie and Oreo eater. All though I should invert the order of this list. Oreo double stuff cookies and milk...THE BOMB BABY!
My favorite genre is paranormal, love those vamps. I write paranormal, historical and contemporary. I've even tried my hand at YA. Writing makes me happy.
Hope what you do makes you happy too!!
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June 18th, 2010 at 2:14 am
what a great post. I have a husband like that too
June 18th, 2010 at 2:49 am
Hey, Tamara, that is so cool! Tell Dusty ‘way to go’ from me, will ya?
I’m sure there are some people who think I’m too old to be starting a writing career, but they keep it to themselves and I encourage it. LOL! Other than that, I probably shouldn’t wear a ponytail as much as I do, but I’m old enough not to care what other people think. So there.
June 18th, 2010 at 5:35 am
Hi Tamara,
Age is just a number. It’s what’s in the heart that matters. If you want something, go get it! My son-in-law was 42 when he qualified for the Iron Man… swimming over 2 miles in the ocean, biking 112 miles through the heat of the lava beds on Kona Hawaii, and then running a full marathon (over 26 miles). I’ve never understood why people abuse themselves this much, (g) but hey, it’s their dream, not mine.
As for me, I’ll keep trying new things until I leave this old world…writing, running (okay, probably walk-run), a 5-K with my granddaughter, or anything else that comes up that interests me…or I get conned into.
Loved the post. Tell him congrats.
Sandy
June 18th, 2010 at 7:01 am
How wonderful for him! Sounds like he got a double prize here – a position on the team AND a supportive wife.
I’m pretty sure I’m officially too old to be a pop star or a leading lady, LOL. Fortunately those aren’t my dreams.
June 18th, 2010 at 7:59 am
What a neat story, especially with Father’s Day right around the corner.
Your real-life romance sounds like it has the makings of a novel.
Congratulations on your husband’s accomplishment.
Marilyn
June 18th, 2010 at 8:19 am
AWESOME!!!! What a cool legacy.
Your hubby sounds like a real hero. Proves to the nay-sayers that we don’t just makes these guys up. I get really tired of hearing about all the villains in this world we live in and even more frustrated when we have to defend the larger-than-life heroes we create in our books. Stories like this just prove there really are guys “like that” out there.
Thanks for sharing him with us….
Tami
ps – couldn’t you have uploaded a picture to share????
June 18th, 2010 at 9:04 am
yes, a picture would have been nice, however, since he has such a supportive wife, perhaps the picture I’ve now got in my head should be the one I drool over!
My guy tried to return to the baseball diamond at about um 59? without all the prep work and blew his knee. I felt so bad for him.
I’m a believer….
I sat down to write my first novel shortly before my f(&^^%$&th birthday and now, several years later I’m going back to college!
(Boy those kids are young!)
June 18th, 2010 at 9:30 am
Tamara,
Loved the story! Major congratulations to hubby!
I like my age. I can do what I want and wear what I want and not try to please others. (Been that age a l-o-n-g time–even when I was younger.)
One person I met seemed to think I couldn’t write a book that would “sound” young enough. To me, that’s part of what fiction is!
June 18th, 2010 at 10:35 am
Tamara,
I love the picture of your hubby doing the football thing–you should write a novel about that.
As for me, I think I’m more daring now than I was in my 20s–youth really is wasted on the young. And, thanks to my Mom, I can’t use age as an excuse for much of anything. She learned to swim at 35 or so, got her doctorate at 48, and learned to ride a motorcycle somewhere in there, too.
She set a pretty high bar for me, but, hey, I’ve already learned to pole dance despite varicose veins. And, like Maxine, I’m already to the point that I don’t really care what others think. Best I can tell that’s the best part of getting older: learning not to live your life worried about what someone will think about you.
June 18th, 2010 at 11:36 am
This post and the comments are so encouraging. I needed that today. Thanks, Tamara for sharing your hubby’s accomplishments with us.
Semi-pro football team, Iron Man, baseball. You’re right. These guys are heroes. I’m officially inspired.
June 18th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
Tamara – Loved that story today. What a wonderful accomplishment for Dusty and how proud of him you must be. It’s great to read all the stories about people who go after something they want no matter where they are on their life journey. The only time I let my age play into a decision was when I tore up knee snow skiing in my late 40s [required surgery] and decided to hang up my skiis since it was a pastime I enjoyed once or twice a year, not a passion. I didn’t want to risk another injury that would prohibit riding my motorcycle, one of my passions.
June 18th, 2010 at 5:50 pm
That is such a cool story! Thanks for sharing it. It’s always neat to find out what kind of people the women I know are married to. Tamara and a football player. I wouldn’t have guessed that! Football players tend to get a bad rap because of a few bad dudes who get all the attention. The most seem to be really disciplined guys who are far more in control of their emotions than most folks…after all, they have to learn how to turn it on and off, keep the game professional.
June 18th, 2010 at 11:12 pm
What a great romance story you’re leading, Tamara! I’m excited for your hubby…my father pitched semi-pro baseball until he was 52 (he got run over by a semi-truck…just the tractor…and moved on to umpiring…which he did until he was 80 years old!)
I’m lucky that I’ve got good genetics and young children…no one ever thinks I’m as old as I am. But I did start my first novel after turning 50, and I’m finishing my master’s degree 39 years after I graduated from high school!
You’re never too old to do anything!
Good luck to Dusty on his comeback!
June 18th, 2010 at 11:17 pm
Tamara,
I think it’s great about your husband. Let’s know when he’s playing. My children think my clothes sometimes look to young, but then others they like I look to old. I please myself.