I swing back and forth. One day I am paralyzed by the fear of age. I don’t want to get any older I’ve got to much to do, I want to learn to surf. I love rock climbing walls and live bands. I was the baby in the family I can’t get old.
And then there are the days I look at seniors and I’m filled with admiration for old people, especially when they are fearless.
Last week I watched an older lady climb on the cyborg like elliptical machine at Anytime Fitness. She was wearing yellow polyester pants and a sweat shirt with a spotted cat mad out of sequins. Still she climbed onboard as thoughborn to elliptical. She set the resistance and incline fearlessly and her skinny legs began churning away. Then she plugged her earphones in.and changed the tv channel so she could watch Ellen. |Hell yeah, that’s how you work out at 70.
Last week I ate lunch with a lot of sixty year old men in the Ohio Club, a fantastic historic bar in Hot Springs, AR. Everybody tells stories and makes fun of each other.Jimmy Young brought his mother, a lovely eighty year old who cheerfully sipped a pint of dark beer while the rest of us drank sweet tea. She was wonderful and witty. Drinking dark beer at noon when you’r eighty, that’s how to roll it right as a senior citizen.
Recently my son worked out with his 25 year old boxing coach. Tony has a full sleeve tattoo, it’s a swirling dragon fish combo that’s actually really pretty. I took lost of pictures. Latter that afternoon I pictures of Tony and Sandor working out in tank tops, on Facebook. Tony called me and said he’d “untagged” himself . He explained his grand parents are his friends on FB and they don’t know about his giant swirling tattoo. How cute is that? Old people on Facebook, poking around, tagging, lol-ing and thumbs up-ing just like college sophomores.
Honestly, I wish my mother-in- law would get on Facebook, or at least learn to e-mail. We live 1500 miles apart and if she would just try to get on line she would be so much more connected with her grand kids. She is missing out and so are my kiddos.It almost makes me mad.
Hopefully, when I’m 80 and my kids want to visit with me via hologram I will embrace the idea simply to be closer to those youngsters. And I hope in turn, they will be just like Tony the boxing coach and protect me from all the wicked stuff out there. I hope I won’t be afraid to hang out with the boys and have a beer and I hope I’ll have the guts to jump on a treadmill or elliptical and speed off in my bedazzled kitty cat sweat shirt.
Comment or write to me hampoland@gmail.com. Thanks, DH
Mom is a American original for sure she enjoyed her visit with you as much as you with her. Just a tip on helping seniors past common “tech fear”. I have been successful with several super seniors by asking them if they can use the remote control for their TV. When the express surprise at my asking I hold it up and show the how many buttons and commands they have learned to use that remote. I then explain that today’s computers are much easier than most remotes controls to use. Somehow it does the tick every time and off we go.
That’s a great idea! I’m going to try it out on Alex’s mom. thanks, Jimmy.
I agree. I’m only 26 but it is motivating to see someone in their 60’s and beyond to come in the gym and put in the work.
You are so right. I like it when they don’t let fear hold them back.
You will be the coolest old lady on the planet!
hey we can learn to surf together! or at least drink dark beer.