More from: "Out of the Mouth of Seniors:"
So like a lot of us Seniors, I have Arthritis. Two kinds. As a result, my thumbs often don't work right. So what does that have to do with ...well, being a Senior Citizen?
This....
My wife's very favorite card game is called: "Hand and Foot." For two people to play that game, you need three decks of cards. That means an awful lot of shuffling. Shuffling, for me, is difficult on a good day, and impossible on a bad day. Such a little thing...but you need...thumbs!
After just a few rounds...the cramps start. And I have to ask for help. Then I try and do different kinds of shuffling that don't use as much thumb.
And, of course, like everything else that happens to us old folks...pain steps in to let us know ...it hurts.
So why did I bring that up. Because of another thing I learned tonight. Even tho it hurts a bit, and I struggle to shuffle...the joy of playing cards with my wife, trumps the cramps and pain.
And I think I might have some insight as to why us old folks tend to grow calmer (once we get past the angry grumpy stereo type). We realize the relative return on spending time...something we know we don't have a lot of anymore- against the irks, and pains of joining in.
And the return is many times greater than the irks and pains. It is the little things...a quiet game of cards. The chatter and banter between old friends. The competitive glee on my Kath's face as she pulls ahead. She does win, more than 80% of the time. She is just better than me at cards. She has strategies ...I have impulses. So yeah, I lose...a lot.
So who cares about sore thumbs, or limited mobility. When you have someone you like sitting across from you?
And I think that most of us Seniors...figure that out.
So yeah, I think that is worth coming out of the mouth of a Senior.
I can always take a Tylenol...or wait it out. I can't always watch her face sparkle with victory.