Spiral™

I always enjoyed talks with Gramps. He rarely talked about himself. He was very curious. He was a researcher. He always wanted to know what I was working on while I was in high school and college. I had to be on my toes around him. That was kind of cool.

Grandpa, a life-long diabetic, never, NEVER thought he’d outlive Grandma. Yet, sadly, she died when she was only eighty, of uterine cancer. Grandpa was totally unprepared. When she died, his spirit left right along with her. He cried a lot. A man’s man, Gramps never told any of us that he loved us until after Grandma died. Then he said it all the time. “I love you, I love you, I love you.” He wrote a few poems in his later years like the “The House of Missing Laughter”. They weren’t exactly cheerful.

For years, Grandpa and Grandma went on daily walks around a lake close to their apartment in Boulder. After she was gone, Gramps didn’t walk anymore. For a while, he managed to live by himself in his apartment. But after a few years he was moved into an assisted living facility. As his health declined and his mobility lessoned, he had to go to a nursing home. He absolutely hated the nursing home. He didn’t want to be there. In his view, it took away the last speck of dignity.

One day my dad and I drove to Boulder to see Gramps. After visiting for a few minutes, it was time for lunch. But Grandpa had to use the restroom first. A nurse aide wasn’t available so Grandpa asked me to help him to the bathroom. Of course I was glad to assist him. I helped him stand up out of his chair and he shuffled to the bathroom. But he needed more help than that. He wasn’t able to do much of anything for himself anymore. He asked me to help him pull down his pants and underwear and then help him sit down on the toilet. His underpants were yellow stained and smelled of urine. When he was done I helped him back up off the toilet and got him dressed. Then we went off to lunch.

I was happy to help Gramps with his self-care that day. Yet, it was embarrassing for him and awkward for me. I was just a college-age kid.

My Grandpa died not long after that visit. He was 89. That’s not that old. He was such an intelligent man. It was sad to see him do nothing more than bide his time after Grandma died nine years earlier.

You also will learn twenty exercises called Freedom Fighters. I selected these simple exercises from literally hundreds of yoga, pilates, and exercise moves that you can do easily at home to maintain your body in the most efficient manner. We know this: your body needs consistent maintenance just like your teeth and gums need to be brushed and flossed every day. The Freedom Fighters are tools, just like your toothbrush, that you can use, at home, to keep your body fit.

Whether you already have an exercise program or you are new to exercise, you will learn some useful things at my presentation. Also, you will receive handouts and a guide sheet that will help you remember the twenty Freedom Fighters.