I am learning to adapt myself to the retirement lifestyle after returning from Indonesia to Malaysia about a week ago. Being a planter for so many years, I have been so used to walking the fields in the plantations. However, when I stayed back in Tembung office, Medan, I did not even have the time for a morning walk. I had to leave my residence in Jalan Kartini the latest by 0715 WIB to avoid the traffic jam in order to reach office before 0800 WIB.Now back in Segamat, Johor, I am able to join my friends for brisk walking in early mornings at Segamat country club. We walk across the green and fairway of the golf course for at least 30 minutes while breathing in the fresh air. This reminds me of the song “GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME” sung by Tom Jones. I totally agreed with my friends that walking on the soft grasses is much comfortable to our feet and exerts minimal impact to leg injury than walking on the hard and rough surface of tar road. Nevertheless, we have to be early before the golfers tee off and start hitting the golf balls. My friends are the regular walkers and seldom skip walking except on raining days or go out of Segamat town.
As we are all aware, regular morning walk improves our blood circulation and makes our hearts stronger thus it works more efficiently. My friends tell me that by doing regular brisk walking, they are able to keep fit and stay much healthier than others who fail to make brisk walking a habit. It needs to take initiative and commitment to wake up early to go for morning walk regularly and to stick with it for at least 6 month. There must be persistence full of determination, dedication and discipline if we want to make brisk walking a habit. I remember my late father used to go for morning walk very regularly during the good old days in Kuala Lipis, Pahang. He brought along a long walking stick with him to chase away any stray dogs coming near him. Well, since I am now a retired man, I am determined to treat morning walk as my daily routine too.
Oh Yes. I hope you can join me too to start “Chale Chalo” (brisk walking) from today onwards. And I hope you sing along with me and here are the lyrics of “GREEN GREEN GRASS OF HOME”:
The old home town looks the same,
As I step down from the train,
And there to meet me is my mama and my papa.
Down the road I look, and there comes Mary,
Hair of gold and lips like cherries.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
The old house is still standing,
Though the paint is cracked and dry,
And there's the old oak tree that I used to play on.
Down the lane I walk with my sweet Mary,
Hair of gold and lips like cherries.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they'll all come to see me,
Arms reaching, smiling sweetly.
It's good to touch the green, green grass of home.
[spoken:]
Then I awake and look around me,
At the four gray walls that surround me,
And I realize that I was only dreaming.
For there's a guard, and there's a sad old padre,
Arm in arm, we'll walk at daybreak.Again,
I'll touch the green, green grass of home.
Yes, they'll all come to see me
In the shade of the old oak tree,
As they lay me 'neath the green, green grass of home.
Click on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSajFnkUxQY to watch and listen to Tom Jones singing 'Green Green Grass of Home' on Youtube.
3 comments:
" Home is where the heart is" sings Elvis. Very true, there's no better place than home. As they say, Home Sweet Home. At last you've retired, it's time you spend some time at home to be with your family and catch up with some old friends. Get a hobby like blogging and karoke singing in addition to brisk walking. Try to be happy at all times. Of course, you can also do some house work like cleaning up and gardening. Not forgetting to do some woking around the kitchen like me or Rock Around the Clock like Bill Haleyand the Comets. We YBs (yang bersara) don't go to Parliament to make noise, but to kopitiams to chit chat over a cup of coffee. You have been travelling around a lot, it's time you do some mowing to keep your green green grass of home green. Now the planter can take care of flower plants instead of trees. Time for a change, my friend. Time for yourself.
Happy to hear that everything was great wth you and you can have a good time in Segamat. Thanks for sharing a good advice and a good song as well.
Yesterday evening my wife, son and I had a very nice walk around the Taiping Lake Garden. It's a huge garden with clean pools of water along all the stretches of the walk ways. The weather was fine and cool and there were many walkers, young and old. There're also many huge trees on both sides the road in the garden. They look beautiful and the place is very scenic and green. Many people like to retire here bc Taiping is not too big like Ipoh or KL or too small like KLipis. It has all the facililties: good schools, big hospitals (govt and private), a museum and many historical places and places to visit like Bukit Larut (Maxwell Hill). Who knows, I may buy a house here and retire here if my son decides to settle down in Taiping.
Then I can call this place my Green Green Grass of Home.
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