Playing Pool in Gibraltar

Let's talk about growing older!  Photo "Did you know?" by Stockimages courtesy of www.freedigitalphotos.net So, it was quite something to be placed in the seniors by dint of just arriving on the cusp of being a veteran and not yet ready to be put out to grass.  It sounds pretty prestigious, doesn't it, being a Senior?  It reminds me of being at school and looking up at seniors who were older, cleverer and infinitely wiser.  And as for moving up to the Masters - well, that sounds even better.  A Master, eh?  It must mean that we have mastered our sport, are ready to pass on those skills and that wisdom to the younger players.  Doesn't it? Well, as I muse the matter, the answer is yes...and no.  Many of us in the Masters age group - 50 plus - have graduated there after years of playing in competitions, semi-professionally or professionally, are teaching, coaching or mentoring and still have a bit of an edge to our game that can take us succe...

Photo "Stress on Dynamite" by Stuart Miles courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net ....At playing pool? Well, not so much getting better and better, but at least playing a bit more.  No, I'm referring to the fact that I'm getting better from a bout of sickness I didn't know I had until I ended up wired up to machinery in A&E.  Sounds dramatic, but what they suspected at first was a heart attack was actually a panic attack brought on by a protracted period of stress, which was caused by anxiety caused by goodness knows what, but contributed to by a very demanding period of work. Photo "Stethoscope and ECG" by cooldesign courtesy of www.FreeDigitalPhotos.net In fact, until this point, I had not realised I was a stress victim - and I don't use that term lightly any more, because I really was unwell, and recovering from this is taking a fair while.  Not only that, I'm generally quite an easy-going person and I don't usually get work...