“One minute you are young and cool and the next minute you are turning down the stereo in your car to see better.” A series of things have happened in the last while that made this resonate with me. It got me thinking, (dangerous, I know) how can we stay connected to the good parts of being young while embracing our age. At Silver Threads, I am surrounded by experts, people I admire for their spirit, enthusiasm and smarts, so I asked the question “What keeps you feeling young?”
“Well, it’s not my knees, but I can predict when it is going to rain.”
Another woman, said she used to love going to clubs and dancing, and gets the same joy by attending Zumba classes. The music is great, and the class is energetic and fun. “It’s kind of like going to a club but in the afternoon, and yes, there might be a nap after.”
A fellow who comes to Fitness classes says when he was younger, he never really worked out or focused on regular exercise, “my work was physical, so I kept my figure” he said with a laugh. “Now that I am retired, I need to make time to stay active, I feel better because of it and my wife appreciates that I can get out of a chair without groaning.”
Grandkids were mentioned by a few folks, there is nothing like doing crafts, taking turns on a swing, and playing with children. “I’m better at playing at this stage of my life then when I was a parent. I love being the fun Grammy.”
One of our volunteers states “I have a couple of old friends with a lot of shared history, we retell the same stories and laugh at the things we did and that happened in our lives. I also have some new friends that I met here at Silver Threads, we share the same wicked senses of humour, there is nothing like laughing till you cry moments with friends. Make me forget my worries and live in the moment.”
Many of the things’ people say keep them young can be found at Silver Threads. Our Summer Guide is available at our Centres and online www.silverthreads.ca There are great classes, socials, presentations, out trips and Monthly Socials. Join us, it will be good for some laughs.
Silver Threads Service has been serving the community for 67 years.
Our Saanich Centre is located at 286 Hampton Road, in the Tillicum Gorge neighbourhood and can be reached at 250 382-3151. Our Victoria Centre is located at 1911 Quadra Street, near the Police Station and can be reached at 250 388-4268.
