Sportsman's Corner: Aging Gracefully

A retired teacher, I occasionally run into former students. Sometimes one of them might say to me, “Well, Tate, you look the same. You don’t look any older.”

I often reply, “Thank you, but that probably means I looked pretty bad when I had you in class,” which might be closer to the truth.

Recently, the editor of an outdoor publication I sometimes write for told me that he thought I was “aging gracefully.” I took this as a compliment, but it caused me to reflect about myself.

I’m going to turn 70 this year, and I would like to think that I am aging gracefully. However, in many ways that’s not the case.

I now have more aches and pains than I could imagine I’d ever experience when I was, let’s say, 40. I have a surgically repaired knee that aches every time we’re about to get some wet weather. In addition, I have to get injections in this knee periodically because the cushioning in the knee is pretty much gone. Without these injections, not only would I be unable to play age-level basketball at the Y with the fanatics who run me ragged; I would be unable to hike to the spots where I like to hunt for turkeys and would be unable to wade some of my favorite fishing spots. I generally take a couple of ibuprofen tablets before participating in any of these activities.

My left elbow and shoulder are also giving me trouble. When playing basketball or when fishing, I slide on an elbow brace to keep this aching joint in line. I basically pray that the shoulder doesn’t hurt when I have to extend it. If I were a bowhunter, I would have to go to a crossbow to protect the elbow and shoulder.

In addition, I suffer from periodic back spasms. My regular orthopedist has prescribed a set of stretching exercises that I am to perform before playing basketball or going on long-hike hunts. So far, they have worked reasonably well.

I had to endure a series of heart protocol tests last summer after having passed out while mowing grass. Afterwards, the doctor told me that there was nothing wrong with me, that I was probably dehydrated the day I plopped over. “Drink lots of water before you exercise,” he warned.

The one who is actually aging gracefully in my house is my wife. Occasionally when we run into one of my former students and he or she sees Donna, the student asks me, “And, is this your daughter?”