Only as Old as We Think We Are
Only As Old as We Think We Are - August 5, 2023
And here we are – August long is approaching. It is late for this year. August long is always the first Monday of August and July 31st this year fell on Monday – pushing August long later than usual.
How many times have we heard over the years – you are only as old as you think you are? Many, many times. Some people never seem to look older – they look the same as they did 20 years ago. While others – the age lines start to show sooner. Our neck starts to fall, the wrinkles become more pronounced. What makes one skin age better than another? Is it the creams we have purchased and used? Or is it strictly genetics and it would not have mattered what we did to our skin it would still have looked youthful.
Which leads to my next question. The majority of men do not use the specialty creams that women do and yet – they seem to age at the same rate as women. Some never growing older and others producing many wrinkle lines. Is it once again genetics? And if we knew the answer just imagine how rich we would be. Those cosmetic companies would have gone into bankruptcy.
Where am I leading to with this all this? Let me tell you …. I had heard about Pickleball a couple of years ago and how much fun it is. I had a girlfriend playing and knew how much she was enjoying it. My understanding was that it was designed for us seniors. A combination of racquet ball sports – such as badminton, ping pong, tennis; but less court space to travel. Making it easier for us old folk to play this game. I thought this would be a perfect fit. How I had loved playing racquet sports in my earlier days. I had started golfing in ladies’ nights and was enjoying it somewhat. I wasn’t crazy over it but wanted to do something as I start to retire.
My biggest problem with golfing is the time commitment and the price. Golfing is not cheap, and it takes a fair amount of time out of your day. Now if you have nothing to do with your day then time means nothing. And if you have an abundance of cash – money is not an issue either. For me, I struggle with both. An average day of 9 holes - green fees and a cart will run me about $50. I still need to add in a couple of beverages and maybe some food – depending on the time of day. Plus 3-4 hours of time. Basically about $75-$100 and 3 hours as a minimum of time.
Pickleball – well that can be quite inexpensive. If you are playing on an outside court – odds are it is free to play. You are out your time, a bottle of water and that is about it. Average time maybe 1 ½ to 2 hours. I started playing with our local pickleball league about a month ago and was totally enjoying it. Going out 3-4 times a week. Very nice evenings and a pleasant socialization while getting some well needed exercise. I was enjoying it so much I bought my own pickleball net and racquets. The pavement on the east side of our house could host a court and what could be better than practicing and playing PB on a regular basis? It was a sport that all ages could play basically. A team sport – doubles was easier than singles. And as summer company started arriving that is what we did – play PB.
Unfortunately, my competitive and aggressive spirit took over my common sense. By the end of the weekend with my family being home I had taken a major fall and caused some major damage to my right shoulder rotator cuff. By the time I picked myself up off the pavement I could not lift my right arm. I could sit with it on my leg and that was about it. Slowly, day by day my mobility is improving. There is no PB in my immediate or far future from the way I feel. Maybe I can learn to play with my left hand.
I was able to see a doctor in the next couple of days; however, I needed an x-ray and an ultrasound. X-rays in my area are fairly easy to access. Ultrasound? Not so. I would not be able to have an ultrasound until 2 months from now. A friend suggested trying a larger centre. Guess what – I was able to get into 2 other communities the next day. I wanted a diagnosis so I would know how to look after myself. What type of exercise to help cure this injury. Just typing this blog is a major hurt. I need to take a break every couple of sentences and rest my arm. Darn…
And where does all this rambling take me? Remember to stretch before any activity and remember you may feel young, but your body is aging even though you may think you are not aging. We are aging. And we need to look after our bodies. We only have one of them. And it takes so darn long to get over an injury.
As a warning to all I did some quick research on PB injuries. Most common injuries are tennis elbow, knee injuries – such as meniscus tears and flare-ups of arthritis. However, because of the constant twisting and bending motions the back, shoulder and wrist are at risk as well. Pretty much the whole body is what I would say. The associated medical costs and injuries are skyrocketing amongst us seniors. According to a recent study out of the US - 86% of injuries in the ER are related to PB and people over 50 years of age and about half of the injuries were either sprains or fractures. My advice is simple – don’t be too competitive, stretch before any activity and remember you are no longer 18!
I hope everyone enjoyed the August long weekend and next comes fall. The harvest will start coming off and there will be a change in the air. Evenings start to cool and the colors around us change. Good old Mother Nature getting for the next season.
I will leave you with a song by George Burns “I Wish I Was 18 Again”. It was George’s only Billboard Hot 100 hit. Burns was an American comedian, actor, writer and singer. And how he loved his big, fat cigars. One of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. Born in 1896 and died in 1996. He lived just a few months longer after his 100th birthday. (And as a note – I don’t wish I was 18, but I wouldn’t mind being a few years younger!)
