Finding Fun Things to Do

Our household contains two people in their late 70’s. One of us is limited in mobility, and the other is getting there, too! We keep ourselves busy during the day and get plenty of sleep at night. With the COVID pandemic, however, we limit our exposure to stores and crowds of any sort. We watch a lot of TV and get daytime naps. One of us is busy online with consulting and mentoring and blogging. The other is a Facebook fan and spends hours each day there.

The question is what can we do that will add spice to our lives given our limitations?

One answer is a routine of walking even if walkers are used. Both of us use them but I’m fairly certain we could improve our walking ability without assistance if we put in more time exercising. Our local park district has an indoor walking/running track, and it is available for Medicare patients free under the Silver Sneakers program. One of us is already enrolled there; the other old poop has yet to sign up. We could do this together which would involve a coordinated schedule. Only one of us drives.

The first step toward this simple goal was to create a printed calendar of routine commitments for our seven-day week. We now know what time blocks are available for exercise. I can block out those times and keep them from interfering with the consulting and mentoring. All we have to do now is to implement the plan. So far nothing has been done.

Another possibility is using time blocks for fun errands or local trips of interest. One of us is uncomfortable being away from home too long; you know, your own bathroom feels best when you need it! So, 2-hour sallies out of the home seems to be workable. Identifying those fun things is the next step. So far, we have not done anything to identify the fun things. We need help with that. Here are some ideas:

-Short visits with family and friends; rotate them to keep from being a bother to anyone

-Visits to local stores just to look at things of interest

-Short visits to museum type institutions. These may be more difficult given mobility constraints, but worth looking into. Car museums, art galleries and historical museums are examples.

With these added activities, our ability to walk and stand should improve. That might allow us some simple day trips or overnights in places like Mineral Point, Wisconsin, Galena, Illinois, and perhaps a visit to a national park or two. Who knows; we may be able to reignite some interests we have had a long time but have avoided in recent years.

For those who are not in elder stages yet, this is what you have to look forward to. It is not all bad. We get a lot of reading in as well as binge watching documentaries and serious drama shows. There is quality video viewing available if you shop carefully enough!

If you have any suggestions to add to our options of activities, please send them on in the comment section. Any and all ideas will be gratefully accepted.

January 10, 2022

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