Ferry Trips Ferry Pilots Articles Editorial Finance Links Videos Email Home August 30, 2026 Ignoring Clint Eastwood's advice in "Dirty Harry" that opinions, like certain body parts, are best kept to yourself. Fear of Falling Recently, I posted the article to the left on my website, taking an interest in the subject because as I've gotten older I've taken a few tumbles and it can be a scary experience. I remember when my dad gave up skiing after a bad fall at the sport he loved, telling me at age 60, at the time, he worried that a broken hip or similar could have life-long consequences. I gave the sport up at age 47, not from falling, but the embarrassment of coming in dead-last in the John Elway Celebrity Downhill Race at Copper Mountain, Colorado, and endured the applause and laughter when I had to come forward and accept an award for accomplishing such a feat. I'd been skiing for years, but it was my first attempt at that particular event. Living in a 30' Class A motorhome, those narrow folding stairs can be a bit tricky, and I've missed a few of them over the last dozen years I've been navigating them. A couple of years ago, while in the National Seashore, it would have been an interesting slow-motion video of me bypassing all of them and rolling a few times on the grass. Recovering quickly, I immediately looked around to see if I had any witnesses, fortunately there weren't any. It must have looked pretty funny. Last month, I was on the brick walkway at my daughter's lake cabin, carrying a few things to the motorhome, and tripped on an uneven brick, doing a complete face plant right on my nose and forehead. I was darn-near knocked-out, and some of the blood is still there on the bricks. I thought I broke my nose, but got lucky. There's a television ad out there floating in the ether that begins with the announcer saying "the number one fear of seniors is falling ... so, just don't fall". Good advice, I think the product being pitched was a fob to be worn around your neck, one of those "help, I've fallen and I can't get up" type of gadget. I remember my younger daughter wanted to buy me one a few years ago, but for the eighty bucks a month or so, I resolved to just be more careful. Please visit my travel blog to learn more about my life on the road, traveling with my wife of 53 years, for about 10 years, a wonderful part of my life. I continue alone after Hazel's death in 2019 from cancer, but it isn't the same, and I haven't been on the road for the past two years. But, I have good intentions to turn "The Ship of Theseus" into the wind this Fall and celebrate my 83rd birthday in December with friends along the Gulf of Mexico America. My son Tom suggested the name for my motorhome, so old now that some RV parks will deny me entry with a "ten-year rule", and Theseus is much older than that. Tom has a PhD in Philosophy and teaches at Princeton University, he told me the story about King Theseus returning from war and tying his ship up at the dock in Athens, where it didn't move for 40 years. Tourists would come by and marvel at how it looked in perfect condition after all those years. That's because, as parts aged they were replaced with new ones. Well, that's my 1992 Fleetwood Southwind motorhome, not much on it or in it is original, with a replacement transmission, cooling system with a new radiator, air conditioners, tires, suspension, furnace, toilet, water heater, at least two fresh water pumps, television, radio, antenna, satellite dish, electric steps, flooring, plumbing, a new gas tank, you name it, over the years, so it's kind of like Johnny Cash's Cadillac, "One Piece at a Time". The Ship of Theseus, also known as Theseus's Paradox, is a paradox and common thought experiment about whether an object (in the most common stating of the paradox, a ship) is the same object after having all of its original components replaced with others over time. If you ever need your Philosophy fixed, I've got the guy. Global Air Aviation Referral Service I welcome responses, and will be glad to post them here. Email your remarks to ron@global-air.com This space is waiting for your comment ... Send me an email. ron@global-air.com Most Recent Editorial Recent Global Air Links: Ferry Trips | Ferry Pilots |Articles | Editorials | Aviation Links | Financing | Videos | Home For more information, call us at 763-389-9399. Specifications are based upon owner's representations and subject to buyer's verification. Aircraft are subject to prior sale or removal from market. Occasionally, registration numbers on photos may be altered or removed to protect the privacy of the owner, and to ensure that buyers will work with us to complete the purchase.