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Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,031,425 times
Reputation: 46172
Quote:
Originally Posted by jertheber
I'll second that. ...
Getting in my car and taking to any road I want is the kind of freedom I wished for when working, it allows me to explore the west coast in a way I never dreamed possible, .... you never get used to seeing things from a slowed down perspective, it's been great being retired, couldn't think of a better life.
on MN2CO's point ("they" will have to pry my car keys from my cold dead hands.) I will be resorting to my riding lawn mower if I lose my driving ability The Straight Story (1999)
I was weaned behind the wheel (dad was a trucker / farmer; mom would load us kids up in the middle of the night into another truck to go pull him out of the snow; somewhere in IA, NE, KS, NE, SD, CO, or WY... i.e. long snowy trips)
Driving is therapy for me, but I enjoy walking too. (good thing since I drive 'beaters' and live in the boonies)
Being 'Carless' while living in Singapore definately 's-t-r-e-c-h-e-d' me, but I wore out a few pairs of shoes, instead of tires, and learned all about 'standing in a queue' (Not very 'American' )
I am not attacking your desire, your want, your need or your obsession with a car. You can buy any car you want. You can have all the car status stuff that you need to display. I am not questioning the advantages of motoring and the ability to explore easily new places. All I am saying is that driving can cause health problems and being a pedestrian is NOT as dangerous as driving.
So, to minimize dangers to health, one can make a choice not to drive--the big word I am using is CHOICE. I have made a choice to drive less, and very rarely on a highway. That is my choice and my suggestions, they do not have to be yours.
Of course, with my choice, you do give up some freedom of movement; you do minimize certain options of enjoyment. There are many people, everyday, who because of economy, disability, age or just desire--do not drive a car.
It is also much safer to all of you who drive, that many of the aged make that choice of not driving and have options of good public transportation. Unless, you desire to be killed by a 95 year old senile senior with a driving license; and his attitude of "..."they" will have to pry my car keys from my cold dead hands..."
Note that the assurance of your health in retirement is not only the choices you make, it is the choices of what others make that may effect you.
I am not attacking your desire, your want, your need or your obsession with a car. You can buy any car you want. You can have all the car status stuff that you want. I am not questioning the advantages of motoring and the ability to explore easily new places. All I am saying is that driving can cause health problems and being a pedestrian is NOT as dangerous as driving.
So, to minimize dangers to health, one can make a choice not to drive--the big word I am using is CHOICE. I have made a choice to drive less, and very rarely on a highway. That is my choice and my suggestions, they do not have to be yours.
Of course, with my choice, you do give up some freedom of movement; you do minimize certain options of enjoyment. There are many people, everyday, who because of economy, disability, age or just desire--do not drive a car.
It is also much safer to all of you who drive, that many of the aged make that choice of not driving and have options of good public transportation. Unless, you desire to be killed by a 95 year old senile senior with a driving license; and her attitude of "..."they" will have to pry my car keys from my cold dead hands..."
Livecontent
Watch it, LC! I doubt I'll be alive at 95 so you will all be quite safe. I'm a very safe driver - haven't had an accident (except 3 years ago when a deer ran into me) since I was 19. When I am no longer a safe driver I will unhappily give it all up. But age doesn't dictate that. I really believe that people are their own worst enemy. They decide they are too old to drive carefully and therefore start driving badly. Obviously this isn't always the case. Some people were never good drivers and should never have had a license. If I can't get on the freeway and travel at the normal speed, I'll stay off of it.
Watch it, LC! I doubt I'll be alive at 95 so you will all be quite safe. I'm a very safe driver - haven't had an accident (except 3 years ago when a deer ran into me) since I was 19. When I am no longer a safe driver I will unhappily give it all up. But age doesn't dictate that. I really believe that people are their own worst enemy. They decide they are too old to drive carefully and therefore start driving badly. Obviously this isn't always the case. Some people were never good drivers and should never have had a license. If I can't get on the freeway and travel at the normal speed, I'll stay off of it.
How do I know that the car near me is being driven by a good driver, like yourself??? I cannot easily make that assumptions, considering that there are many drivers that I will encounter on any trip. I can bet that at least one or more, near me, should not be driving because they are incapacitated by age (too old or too young), drugs, drink or an insane personality. So, I choose to minimize the real hazard and risk by driving less; eventually I will totally give up driving. That will also make other drivers safe from me.
Accidents happen - in or out of a car. This weekend, a girl was sitting in a bus stop shelter waiting for the bus. A car crashed into the shelter and she was seriously hurt.
I was going to say that you'll have to stay home if you want to make sure you'll be safe but then just this morning, here in a nice part of Edina, a house just blew up - the entire house exploded. A freak gas leak and they think something as everyday as the phone ringing set off the explosion. Nope - not safe at home either.
I'm more physically active now than at any other time in my life. I take a lot of vitamins and always have. I don't eat out a lot and I cook most of my food myself, at home. I stay very busy.
I don't worry about being 'safe'. I'll still try almost anything. I figure all I have to miss is my 'declining' years anyway. I'd much rather die in a parachuting accident than in a nursing home.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,705 posts, read 58,031,425 times
Reputation: 46172
Quote:
Originally Posted by livecontent
... ...Unless, you desire to be killed by a 95 year old senile senior with a driving license; and his attitude of "..."they" will have to pry my car keys from my cold dead hands..."
I understand your point, but have a good friend in Colorado, who at 95 is in quite good control of their Mustang Cobra . Even takes frequent 1000 mi trips to visit 'older' relatives 'back-on-the-farm'
BoT: Healthy... Yeah, I tend to be more 'vitamin and mineral conscious' too. I Even took up adding Flax seed to my oatmeal and have limited my 'snacks' (which seem to have become 'Cravings' )
Having a bit more difficulty with the 'Young' part, tho plan on fixing up an old motorcycle I have had since High School, and doing a couple 'Then-came-Bronson' trips, just like when I WAS young. As previously mentioned, I recently got back to my High School weight. It's the W-I-D-T-H part that seems to be more allusive
btw: I won't doing Bronson via a Harley , I realize the stats for the 'new-breed-Harley-Freedom-Retirees'. Longevity does not seem to equal buying your first Harley when you are 55 and hitting the road . (fortunately I 'got-over-that' (image) stage pre-18)
I love to lap swim (since a bad ankle doesn't allow running); so N E G (op) I am ALWAYS getting passed by 'Masters' swimmers, they are in GREAT shape and very lean. I am no pro at swimming, but do a combination of strokes and just get in and don't stop till they close the place down. I can still do about 100 - 120 laps (lenghts)/ hr (not impressive), but I have done as many as 300 laps at a whack. (72 lengths per mile, 1 mile swimming = 5 miles running). ha, a senior marathon (swimmer) (that's a joke!, seeing me swim is NOT a pretty sight) http://www.healthstatus.com/calculate/cbc
I'm all for the parachute thing!
Last edited by StealthRabbit; 02-24-2010 at 03:28 AM..
I am not attacking your desire, your want, your need or your obsession with a car. You can buy any car you want. You can have all the car status stuff that you need to display. I am not questioning the advantages of motoring and the ability to explore easily new places. All I am saying is that driving can cause health problems and being a pedestrian is NOT as dangerous as driving.
So, to minimize dangers to health, one can make a choice not to drive--the big word I am using is CHOICE. I have made a choice to drive less, and very rarely on a highway. That is my choice and my suggestions, they do not have to be yours.
Of course, with my choice, you do give up some freedom of movement; you do minimize certain options of enjoyment. There are many people, everyday, who because of economy, disability, age or just desire--do not drive a car.
It is also much safer to all of you who drive, that many of the aged make that choice of not driving and have options of good public transportation. Unless, you desire to be killed by a 95 year old senile senior with a driving license; and his attitude of "..."they" will have to pry my car keys from my cold dead hands..."
Note that the assurance of your health in retirement is not only the choices you make, it is the choices of what others make that may effect you.
Livecontent
Quote:
Originally Posted by livecontent
Many people are going to say exercise and eat healthy food. Some will add the health advantages of low stress.
My suggestion is to stay healthy is to minimize a certain activity or avoid it completely. This activity is known to cause many disabilities, pain, suffering and premature death. This activity that will effect all the exercising, healthy eating and low stressed people. This hazard will target people who take vitamins. It will not care if you are a non smoker. This danger will take the lives of the young and the old.
This activity is worsen at night, on high speed highways and in bad weather. It is particularly a problem for your health on certain night of St. Paddy's Day, New Year's Eve and all the holidays, events that attract the inebriated.
This activity is driving a car or being an occupant. People who do not drive and who avoid auto travel will have more of a chance to stay young and healthy in retirement; in fact you will be more assured of reaching retirement age. People who walk instead of driving a car get more exercise. They have less stress with a slower pace of life. Give up your car or drive less and live a longer healthier life.
Livecontent
Sometimes we think we are safer in our own car. Guess not.
I had to drive to an appointment a half hour away and got onto the interstate highway (remember, this is NewEngl winter weather!). The highway suddently narrowed without warning due to construction and I was in the passing lane. A tractor trailer in the middle lane did not slow down to let me into his/her lane and I was nearly thrust against the concrete divider. I was conveince I was a gonner. Someone upstairs was with me and I got myself into that lane, from now on I will go the old route through the towns and not on that highway again. This recent experience, and watching the Olympics really drives home how a mishap in a milli second can change your life forever.
The problem in terms of older folks driving is weather conditions...walking or taking a bus is not always possible depending on your mobility. Today for instance there is no way I could take a bus even though the stop is down in front of my house. The roads are full of icy slush due to the current storm. So you either stay inside if you can or you take the risk with your car.
As far as exercise goes, where I live outdoor exercise for older folks is limited nearly half the year whenever the weather is really bad. a senior I know who is in really good shape caught her boot heel on a rug in Walmart or some such place within a mall and crashed forward onto the floor and broke her arm in three places. So much for mall walking (at least, watch those rugs!)
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)
, and learned all about 'standing in a queue' 
(Not very 'American' 
)
I'm a very safe driver - haven't had an accident (except 3 years ago when a deer ran into me) since I was 19. When I am no longer a safe driver I will unhappily give it all up. But age doesn't dictate that. I really believe that people are their own worst enemy. They decide they are too old to drive carefully and therefore start driving badly. Obviously this isn't always the case. Some people were never good drivers and should never have had a license. If I can't get on the freeway and travel at the normal speed, I'll stay off of it.
and have limited my 'snacks' (which seem to have become 'Cravings' 
. (fortunately I 'got-over-that' (image) stage pre-18)
(that's a joke!, seeing me swim is NOT a pretty sight)
