When Kamala Harris laid out an economic plan for her future presidency, she invoked FDR’s motto for pulling the United States out of the great depression, BOLD PERSISTENT EXPERIMENTATION.
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Nature is the ultimate experimenter. |
The same motto describes my approach to figuring out what it means to be an elder in contemporary society. And that begins with caring for a living body.
FLEXIBILITY
Two days a week I participate in a Water Aerobics class led by an 87-year-old volunteer. I have found that it helps keep my joints flexible. In addition, there is something primordially satisfying about being in water kept at 88 degrees. Perhaps it is because water provided the origin of an evolutionary process that led to Homo sapiens. Or maybe because the human embryo grows in an amniotic sac inside a womb.
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Biden's flexibility led Democrats in a new direction. |
BALANCE
The first question at one’s annual physical checkup is, “Have you fallen in the past year?” The desirable answer is, “No!” To achieve that answer, another two days a week I engage in a Senior Exercise class led by a 65-year-old fitness instructor. By building overall muscle strength we enhance our balance. To engage the neuroplasticity of our brains, we learn simple dance steps.
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Trees show that balance is a total body experience. |
REBUILDING
Due to repeated actions related to a persistent lifestyle, the brain-body connections of our bodies become rigid or distorted. Some muscle memories receive strong repetition and others weaken. To refresh and rebuild attenuated muscle memories, I attend Yoga once a week. Holding a pose for several deep breaths provides time for the brain/body connection to be renewed and attenuated muscle memory to be recharged.
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The sentience of trees. |
