We joined the recreation center – again! However, this time is different than previous associations because we
are old enough to be members of the Senior
Recreation Center. It was so
refreshing to have the center’s supervisor ask me how old I am to assure we
could qualify for membership. Yep, I am old
enough to participate but still a spring chicken amongst the seventy and eighty
year old crowd.
My father-in-law is a member of the same center and I told my
son we were looking forward to the time he and our BDIL could join our senior club. He just laughed. Thirty years from now is a lifetime away and
I know how he feels. I never thought
about aging when I was in my twenties. Time has a way of truly flying by even when measuring it one year at a time.
We stay active at home and on vacations. A few years ago we were with our friends in Colorado and decided to white water raft in the Royal Gorge. Our friends are experienced rafters and said
it was an adventure of a lifetime. Well,
wearing a wetsuit certainly was a “trip”. I asked
for the oxymoron size, it’s the petite-extra large, and then pulled
the fitted outfit over my swim suit. The
wetsuit and the life vest smelled of mildew.
We boarded the van and headed to the river. Our young guide assisted us into the
wobbly rubber raft and as we settled in he begin a safety overview which
included statements such as if you should bounce out of the boat or hit rocks, etc. We sat listening to our
college guide in stunned silence as he became more animated describing the dangers
of white water rafting. He paused,
looked at his passengers and pumped us for enthusiasm. I spoke up and told him that when someone talks to our age group about the thrill of dying then we have to
wonder if our kids know where the Will is filed.
The river was exciting as our guide navigated through the
rough water. We experienced holes,
eddies, pillows, and waves along the bubbly aquatic path. My girlfriend popped out of the boat and was
rescued by the guide, and our husbands were finally able to master paddling in
sync. It wasn’t all rough water at the beginning so there was plenty of time
just to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
However, I was getting hot and tired after three hours and
happy to see the shore where lunch was waiting for us. My rubber suit was uncomfortable and I was
looking forward to removing it and calling it a day. Imagine my surprise when I was informed we
had signed up for the all day tour!
Another three hours on the water and the guide promised even more
turbulence to come. Oh, great.
We made it without mishap and really had a great
time “risking” our lives. Now it was
time to return to the tour office and collect our personal items. I handed the wetsuit to one of the employees
and he tossed it into a barrel which prompted me to ask how they laundered the
suits and vests. He said they just
swished the items around in the barrel and hung them to dry. I suggested they add some bleach to the water
to freshen the process along with some additional agitation to thoroughly clean the
suits. I saw the boy look over my head
to my husband and my husband gave him the same sympathetic shoulder shrug that
I have seen him use when I am helping my son understand something.
We are going to our new fitness club this evening. I plan to contact the center’s certified
personal trainer to get some additional support with my workouts. They told me the trainer is an eighty-year-old man with a
body of a thirty-something. Good, sounds
like he is up to a challenge and can help me take off a few pounds before my
next vacation. Let’s see, we have
already climbed Mount Rushmore and gone white water rafting so I guess we can try
scuba diving next but – only if they bleach the wetsuits!
