Grey Power: "putting money aside" (1)

In less than a year I turn 65. There won't be a big party so don't buy balloons. But the number is significant to me. It's a meaningful line I must cross in my life journey, like the Equator would be to a passenger who crosses it for the first time in an ocean liner. Already I've been thinking about the day it will happen.

Some thoughts were closely personal and came up during separate conversations about medical insurance, the Canada Pension Plan and my (age) 55-plus hockey team. I agreed to change insurance carriers, was prompted to apply for CPP early and wondered if there was a 65-plus team in town so I could be the youngest (and a star) on a team, and not the second oldest. (I know, Shakespeare is right: All is vanity).

Other thoughts were more social or political, and prompted by a recent report by Stats Canada about the greying population. Me. Maybe you. At least a growing number of Canadians.

["Some details reported Nov. 26, London Free Press"]

You may have heard the greying population referred to as the grey tsunami because it's a powerful force, one that may easily swamp some government services (e.g., medical, social) in the future. The report says a few words about the 'swamping' aspect of the greys and they touched a nerve in my (almost 65-year old) Boy Scout nature.

I read:

     By 2036, seniors will account for 23% to 25%

     of the Canadian population, and by 2061, the

     figure will be 24% to 28%, they say.

In my mind, we greys  won't exactly be taking over the streets but empty chairs will be scarcer at local coffees shops between 9 and 11 a.m. most weekdays. However, bigger concerns follow:

     What this means is that as the so-called baby

     boomers age there will be fewer people in line

     after them to pay for their care. 

     "There's a kind of an intergenerational difficulty

     in that," Beaujot said. "As we're preparing for a

     society that will have more health costs, we should

     have been putting money aside for that."

To me, I see red flags in the last statements. Big red flags, but not like the Canadian Maple Leaf. I don't think most Canadians and our current federal government are interested in saving up money for important future needs. We may instead be on the opposite course. 

["Photo at http://www.usada.org"]

Stay tuned. More to follow.

   

Photo by GH

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Please click here to read new skills at age 64

re the lifespan of winter beards

Rumour has it Gord's winter beard is on its way out the door in two days - on the first official day of spring.

["The beard may go but winter shirt will surely stay"]

One member of his household will rejoice to see it go, while the other will likely stall because he has grown so attached to it.

Photo by GH

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Please click here to read about related matters

60 Plus: I’m making a dent

I don’t mind being over 60 years old. I have all I need. Money enough to buy oatmeal and all the additives I like in my porridge.

And yesterday, for the first time in years, I touched my toes while doing my four-minute stretching routine. At least I made a dent in the toe of my running shoe, and in my book, that counts!

Also, I’ve been walking regularly for 8 weeks or so, 60 to 90 minutes at a time, and on Monday I jogged for 50 meters in Harris Park and my legs felt great.

The stretching and walking habits are paying dividends, the hill repeats are adding to my muscle mass (I love throwing in words like that!) and I could likely run a five km. road race in the fall without falling over.

Now, if I could only find my keys to the shed. The grass needs a trim.

[Photo by G.Harrison]

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Please click here for more 60 Plus

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60 Plus: “I still can’t touch my darn toes”

I sit down at the computer everyday and if I would simply stretch for three minutes before doing so, I bet I would be able to touch my toes within two weeks. But I forget to stretch. And I still can’t touch my toes after admitting such a couple of weeks ago.


["I'm getting closer": Photos by GH]

Perhaps if I placed a sticky note on the bathroom mirror I’d remember to stretch. Chances are, however, I’d forget about the note while making my first pot of coffee of the day.

Perhaps if I placed the sticky note on the coffee pot I’d remember to stretch. Chances are, however, I’d forget about it while heating up some of the oatmeal I keep in the fridge. And a note on the fridge would get lost among the other notes, photos and calendars on the door.


Perhaps if I placed a note on my computer screen I’d remember to stretch. I.e., a little one down in the right corner near the ‘Trash Can’ icon.

I think I’m onto something. At 60 plus, I still get good ideas. They just take a while to formulate.

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Is formulate the right word here?

Please click here for more 60 Plus.

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60 Plus: “I still can’t touch my toes”

I know my weekly hockey game has something to do with my stiff back and the fact I could only get within four inches of touching my toes yesterday.

There are other factors: I’m 60 Plus years of age; I don’t have a stretching routine; I have very short arms.

However, for the second day in a row, I completed a few easy stretching exercises before sitting down at the computer. And... good news. Moments ago I reached about one inch closer to my toes - without medical assistance.


[“You little beggars are getting closer!”]

Really, I have to become more flexible. The only positive thing about grunting and groaning while putting on shoes and socks in the morning is that I provide comic relief for my wife. And while in the shower, I have to wrap a washcloth around the end of a spatula in order to clean between my toes. Not a pretty sight.

60 Plus. Sure, I have more time to stop to smell the roses, but if I have to bend over, it’s a tough job.

[Photo by GHarrison]

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Please click here for more 60 Plus. Then stretch!

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