Feeling Old: A Funny Anecdote
A Guest Blog from Chris, a Kingsway Care Superfan, ageing with grace, humour, and exercise!
We all have that one moment—the one where it hits us like a ton of bricks: we’re getting old. For some, it’s grey hair, for others, it’s realising that the latest slang sounds like a foreign language. But for me? It was the day my garden turned against me. One minute I was happily weeding, soaking up the sun, and the next, my body decided it had other plans.
What follows is a tale of rebellion—mine against time, and time against my ability to stand up without groaning. Grab a seat (while you still can) and join me on this unexpectedly enlightening journey of realising just how old I really am.
I am old. But I didn ́t know I was old until a couple of days ago. I mean, I knew how many birthdays I'd had, but that didn ́t make me OLD! What made me know I was old, was gardening. There I was sitting on my patch of grass, enjoying the sunshine, happily weeding, and then I got up. Except I didn ́t.
What happened was I tried to get up and found that I had been betrayed by every muscle, bone, and joint in my body! Just because I had been sitting happily weeding, for a half hour at the most, my entire body refused to work and it took me nearly as long to persuade my body to stand up as it had been sitting down. And that’s when I knew I was old.
But why was I old? I hadn ́t been old before, I had had lots of birthdays it was true, but I hadn ́t been old! So, I hobbled to the house, treated myself to a beer, and thought about it. And then it dawned on me. It was summer, it was holiday time and in holiday time I did ́t go to my weekly seniors exercise class. And it took just about a week without going to my class for me to lose my youth!
A lesson learned so, the next day I began my comeback with some gentle stretching and bending and I'm already beginning to feel a little glow of rejuvenation. So, my advice is to move anything you can as often as you can, even if it ́s only a finger. And when you feel you can ́t move it any further, you know what, you can! Even if it ́s only a tiny bit more and that ́s when you know you're winning! And that ́s a good feeling.
So, I proudly told my grandchildren about my experience and how I was working at not being old anymore and they said, “But Dada, you are old! Look around you. All your grandchildren are now taller than you are!” Thanks kids, that was encouraging. I ́m now off to re-write my will!
Strength, Balance & Mobility Exercise For Seniors
At least he’ll be able to pick himself up if he falls!
We joined 81-year-old Chris, a shining example of ageing well, for his weekly strength, balance, and mobility class for seniors. Prepare to be wowed by his knee flexibility during a cheeky rendition of the Can Can and admire his sheer strength as he lifts a finger.
Stick around for a quick Q&A with Chris and meet his wife, Madeline, a retired ballet teacher, who’s all about keeping mobility in later life. Her advice? “At least he’ll be able to pick himself up if he falls!”
Contact Kingsway Care
As Chris discovered, it's clear that staying active is key to feeling youthful, no matter how many birthdays you've had. At Kingsway Care, we wholeheartedly support the importance of remaining active during later life.
Whether you're looking to regain mobility, maintain your independence, or simply enjoy the little things without creaking joints, we're here to help you achieve your mobility goals. Let us be your partner in staying active, healthy, and vibrant at home and in the community —because age is just a number, and there's no reason you can't keep moving forward.
Fall Prevention TrainingExercise with AgeUK
