I Have long been in what is sometimes referred to as My Autumn Years. And I have no problem with that terminology at this stage in my life.  However, as I have now grown older, and looking back on my thoughts and feelings as I aged, I thought it might be fun just too share some of them with you.

One of the things I noticed about older people is the way in which they walk. From my observations I saw that invariably they took shorter steps i.e. they did not seem to take a full stride. This was more pronounced when the person in question was using a cane or a walker. So, their gait could best be described more as a shuffle than a walk.

About fifteen years ago, I was admitted to hospital due to severe dehydration. I was in bed for about four days with round the clock IV’s replenishing fluids to my system. On the fifth day I was allowed out of bed. To my surprise, I found I could not stand or walk without support. This state did not pass quickly and with the help of therapists I had to learn how to walk again.

Since I am retired, I have quite a bit of time on my hands. Therefore, I spend my time doing what is sometimes termed putzing.  I like to putz in my garage and even in my home office. If in the garage, it comes down to cleaning, maintaining reorganizing tools, oils, grease, paints, etc.   And, in my home office, it is curating the thousands of

 photographs I have accumulated, cataloguing CDs and DVDs.

In more recent times I was taking shorter steps, and my own gait had turned into a shuffle. I noticed this first walking backwards and forwards in my garage when putting a tool away or moving a can of paint to a different shelf, all the while navigating boxes of who knows what on my garage floor.

To remedy this, I enrolled in a Sliver Sneakers program at my local community center. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I go there to walk and indoor track for about an hour. I follow this with an hour session of group led chair yoga. So far, it’s working well for me.

I wonder if this experience resonates with you.