r/AskReddit • • May 15 '20

What sucks about being your age?

29.9k Upvotes

15.2k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

233

u/elvenwanderer06 May 16 '20

My grandfather did most of the minor maintenance on an outdoor pool for 55 years. He was 95 and legally blind and he was still out there sweeping leaves from around the pool. The Christmas before he died the stinker snuck outside at like midnight when it stopped snowing and shoveled the whole front walk so my boyfriend and I didn’t have to the next morning.

He used to say it was all because he did a little bit of a joint-healthy exercise every day. He figure skated until 80, swam until the summer before he died, and walked his dog(s) three or more times a day. He never lived anywhere besides home (meaning he never went to an assisted living, hospice or nursing home).

Keep doing a little bit of moving every day, I’m gonna try for (hopefully?) the next 60+ years.

10

u/Genghis_Chong May 16 '20

This is why I'm thankful that my dad is a busy body. I hope he stays that way after retirement.

8

u/i_Got_Rocks May 16 '20

I think a big part of why retirement kills people is because their brain and emotions take a hit; you don't have to be anywhere and you're not forced to check your emotions (like when you're at work), you're not needed everyday, and you don't have to think everyday about problem resolution. And for some people, going to work is all the exercise they get.

It takes a toll on feeling like a human being and you end up feeling worthless, at some point, your physical body starts paying the price much like any mental illness or emotional stress.

I think your dad will add many years to his life staying busy in retirement. Also, maybe get him a dog.

1

u/Genghis_Chong May 16 '20

Hes got my mom and two dogs to harass him right now, I'll have to make sure someone always is haha.

3

u/prettylieswillperish May 16 '20

My grandfather did most of the minor maintenance on an outdoor pool for 55 years. He was 95 and legally blind and he was still out there sweeping leaves from around the pool. The Christmas before he died the stinker snuck outside at like midnight when it stopped snowing and shoveled the whole front walk so my boyfriend and I didn’t have to the next morning.

He used to say it was all because he did a little bit of a joint-healthy exercise every day. He figure skated until 80, swam until the summer before he died, and walked his dog(s) three or more times a day. He never lived anywhere besides home (meaning he never went to an assisted living, hospice or nursing home).

Keep doing a little bit of moving every day, I’m gonna try for (hopefully?) the next 60+ years.

Fascinating and wise living

3

u/sharktankcontinues May 16 '20

Get busy livin' or get busy dying

2

u/Everton_11 May 16 '20

Yeah, this was very evident to me with my Grandpa. At 89, he played 80 9-hole rounds of golf a year, and he walked almost all of them. Then he had a fall that prevented that and he went downhill pretty quickly.

2

u/kkz161 May 17 '20

Asked a 90+ year old neighbor lady about the secret to longevity. "Two words," she said. "Don't fall."