Sidewalk Sale, a short story:

I lugged books and DVDs and assorted sellables, as well as a makeshift table, down three flights of stairs, waded through the masses of thrift shoppers, set up my table alongside others on the block eager to make a buck off their unwanted wares, sat in the merciless humidity, watched the people of Rogers Park sift through the merchandise, haggled, compromised, and made a small amount of profit before unpacking the makeshift mart and lugging unsold contents away, tired, seating, hungry, ready for a beer. 

A quick clean up a la George Carlin and I was sitting with my beloved and eating my first and only meal of the day washed down with a pint of Guinness.  Immediately felt ready for bed.  Walked to the video store, returned home to walk the dog and settle in for a movie, fell asleep in 20 minutes. 

Once, I was able to do all of this sweaty work several times a week.  I would eat three times as much and drink steadily throughout the day.  And I would finish my shift and stay up all night drinking and watching movies and smoking a lot of cigarettes.  But not anymore.

It’s called aging and it’ll happen to you too.