“Perceptions,” by Gerry Warner

Op-Ed Commentary

Well, it’s time to face the music.

I’ve dreaded this point for years and now I must live with it. Don’t get me wrong. In many ways, I’m glad about it. Proud in fact. But when I consider what all this means, I can’t help but feel a deep sense of foreboding about what lies ahead. Precious little will be good.

Much of it bad.

A few weeks ago, I turned 80. What else can I say? There’s lots I could say about becoming an octogenarian. Some of it is even good. Like being retired and not having to get up early most of the time. Yet, I still find myself doing that. Why? I don’t know.

Old habits die hard, I guess. But I do appreciate all the financial breaks seniors get because living on fixed incomes they deserve them. But many seniors can’t enjoy their cost breaks because they’re not healthy enough to enjoy them.

So, what do they do? Sell the house, pay off their debts and move into a home. That works for some, especially if they have middle-aged children that help with their care and do all they can to support them. But what about those not in this relatively good situation?

When you live past 80, your parents are gone. Many of your friends are gone too and there is nothing more depressing than leafing through your address book and seeing many names with big crosses drawn through them.

What then? We can’t all play pickleball.

In my case, my retirement soup doesn’t always taste good. I spent most of my life doing a challenging job which I enjoyed greatly. When I wasn’t working, I entertained myself in the Great Outdoors hiking, skiing, paddling and traveling to exotic places like the Mt. Everest base camp, the Grand Canyon and the El Camino Trail. Now I can hardly do any of this and it hurts both mentally and emotionally.

At its worst, it can lead to a grim existential experience leading to depression, despair and even suicidal thoughts! So how do you avoid going down the rabbit hole like Alice in Wonderland did and face the Grim Reaper?

I don’t recommend drugs of any kind, legal or illegal and wealth alone won’t do it. Nor will dieting. But I can recommend a surefire way life can be prolonged and made more comfortable even in the face of raw adversity. And fortunately, it doesn’t involve using Artificial Intelligence.So, what is this magical elixir that doesn’t cost a penny but can dramatically change your life for the better?

Exercise!

In my opinion, exercise is the greatest wonder drug ever invented and available to everyone regardless of their race, colour, ethnicity or gender.

Said Pliny the Younger, “It is remarkable how one’s wits are sharpened by physical exercise.” Ah, the classical Romans and Greeks. They knew it all and they knew it long before AI or Albert Einstein came along. And wasn’t it Marcus Cicero who said: “It is exercise alone that supports the spirit and keeps the mind in vigor.”

And it doesn’t cost a nickel or a toonie. How can you beat that?

Sure, you can spend a small fortune on gym fees, sports equipment, special diets and all types of exercise paraphernalia. But you don’t have to. Instead, set your smart phone for ten thousand steps and you can have your ten thousand steps in before you chow down for supper. And if you’re a Luddite like me, the City of Cranbrook has given you a gift that’s better than all the suggestions I’ve already mentioned – namely the steel staircase next to the Rec Plex (Western Financial Place) where you can walk, run or stroll the staircase.

There are 82 steps to surmount before you hit the top. Once you’ve done that, take a short break, turn around and do as many more as you can safely handle.

I do two or three sets almost every day and look at me. I may not be good looking but there’s no fat on this octogenarian. Do this for six months and it’ll change your life. I guarantee it.

Far better than Donald Trump starting a war without even telling his own government and killing thousands including women and children. Yet oddly enough the wars swirling around us makes me exercise even harder. What else can you do when you live next door to a fascist country of almost 350 million? Run?

Not a chance.

– Gerry Warner is a retired journalist who never thought it would come to this.

Article Share