In Hopes that We Can, Age Healthily Physically

Understanding of just HOW important it is, to be able to stay physically agile as we age, from the experiences of those around her, and now, she’s, taking heed, making sure she stays, as agile as she is allowed to, stay, physically, so she doesn’t have to, impose on her children as she enters into the elderly years, translated…

I’d heard hat my fifth uncle who’d been healthy and agile who’s eighty-five had, slipped in the bathrooms and bumped his head, had started exerting signs of early stages of dementia already; while my aunt is also in her seventies, going on eighty too, worried that the two of them may fall down together, my younger cousin immediately filed the papers to hire a foreign nurse’s aide, it’d made me feel thrilled.

My fifth uncle looks exactly like my mother, in the ten siblings, the two of them were the closest to each other, he’d often come to her to carry on in conversations, he’d poured his heart out, from his younger schooling careers, to falling in love, to getting married, to starting to work, not to my grandmother but to my, mom, “the eldest sister became a mother”, was the relation of my fifth uncle with my, mother.  He’d often come over to hang, and took the two of us to play in the playgrounds, to the track fields to work off our excessive energies, clearly, he’s the king of us, and it’d made us feel, that he was my mother’s eldest son, that my older brother was the second-born.

After mom passed, my fifth uncle started growing old quickly, I saw him healthy awhile back when we’d gathered for the family meals, and now, the news of him tripping, falling down, leading to his diagnosis of dementia, and I’d recalled how he’d laughed and talked awhile ago, and now, he’s, stuck in his sickbed, and my heart ached for him.

continuing to exercise as we ought to to stay physically fit, as we grow older…

photo from online

It is something that’s terrible for an elderly person to trip and fall.  A college classmate of mine, accidentally slipped on a piece of green onion, and broken his fibula, she lives alone, lost her husband already, and, the two daughters who were both married were thrilled by her fall, rushed back to stay with her to care for her, she’d felt really bad about it.  As I’d gone to visit her, she’d reminded us all, to clear off the floors, to get rid of the spilled water, the residuals of the vegetables, that at our age, we can’t, afford to trip and slip and fall.  Although now, she’d made a full recovery, her joints started aching when the weather changed, and she’d, not dared alerted her daughters, and can only, put up with the pains and aches by herself.

All of these had made me alert over the cleanliness of my floors, and it got me to the point of not being able to accept a speck of dust, no drop of water on it, keeping the bathroom dry, immediately mopping up the water on the kitchen floors, picking up the trash, in case, all of these will turn into the final straw that brings down the camel’s, back.  My husband joked about how anal I’d become, but we’re both, entered into the elderly age, we can’t afford to trip and fall.  Best be, prepared all that we possibly, can.

I’d made myself, chewed my foods thoroughly before swallowing, to avoid the choking hazards now, can’t just, gulf everything down like I used to, and I must admit, that it takes longer for me to swallow the foods down these days too, my teeth became, loosen somewhat as well, and I’d, taken the smaller bites, if I were to choke, nobody will carry the pains of that, I am trying to, become an elder who doesn’t, trouble anybody else.

so we won’t be like this…in need of someone else’s assistance to help us get up in the mornings…photo from online

There’s business to take care of, I’d gotten out early, and trekked very slowly, I’m no longer pressed by the performance like I once was from work, followed the traffic signs, looked both ways to make sure there was no cars coming or going on the streets I’m about to cross.  Never would I, run to, catch a bus again, the next one will come in about, a little over ten minutes, no need to rush, why risk my health, for these, few extra, seconds of time.

My husband and I made that pact, to grow old together, healthy, I’d once experienced how trying it was, getting burned on both ends, caring for my two parents who were ill at the same, time, to live until the end, as healthy as I possibly can, to NOT drag my kids down, that is, the goal I am working toward right now; in other words, dying peacefully, is what my husband and I are, working towards for the end.

So, this is on how important to keep up with our own agility as we age, because, as we grow older, we’re bound to slow down considerably in our reaction time, our flexibility, and, if we don’t try and keep our bodies agile enough, then, when old age comes, we will, have hell to pay, not to mention, that we will, become burdens to our own young and none of us want that, do we?  Of course not!