Old Age Rocks!!

This morning I had the privilege of being around a few grandmas who were totally crazy and hysterically funny. So often I get this sense that once you are 50 or older that life comes to a screeching halt. I want to brag on my grandmas and break this false notion that getting old ‘sucks’! A few weeks ago my father in-law, who is almost 90, broke his foot while doing a Segway tour of San Diego with his oldest son. It isn’t funny that Paul had a fall but the context around it happens to be enlightening. Why would someone almost 90 decide to go on a cruise and finish it with a Segway ride? What’s more amazing is that my father in-law had decided for his 86^th birthday that he would jump out of an airplane. He had been put to shame by one of the other residents at his senior complex that had parachuted three times and she was turning 90.

I agree that at times I’m more apt to feel the pain when I exert myself now that I’m 61 then when I was in my 20’s or 30’s. The reality for me is that I ran my first marathon at 50 and did fairly well for an old guy. What humbled me was during a hike up a 14,000-foot peak there was a 70-year-old gentleman who was actually running while I was gasping for my breath. Clearly he is a highlander and does this all of the time. Yet, much like my father in-law inspires me to keep going this gentleman did the same thing. It is so easy to quit when you are running a marathon or doing a summit type hike.

What I love about being around seniors is that they don’t have anything to hide about their present life. It is always so hilarious to listen to some of my grandmas complain about the silliest things. Yet, what is impressive is that they choose to keep going and not succumb to being couch potatoes! One of the sadder moments this week was discovering that one of the grandpas whose house we are going to paint this weekend is in Hospice dying. I will remember my last visit with him when he was showing off his Pit-bull puppy. His wife had died recently and I know he was going through some adjustment living alone.

I can remember as a teen in the 60’s not wanting to trust anyone that was older than 20. Now I have to do a quick retake on seeing that the people that are most trustworthy are those who have been around the block many times and understand firsthand the ups and downs of life. It’s refreshing to be around someone that doesn’t have to prove themselves or be competitive in the wrong way. I do expect my father in-law to jump out of a plane at 10,000 feet for his 90^th. The question I have to face is whether I will do it for my 62^nd birthday.

Old age is a fact of life. How we choose to live is a daily opportunity to prove that seniors rock and can be more interesting and exciting then the kids or youngings!