Kol Ami — The Northern Virginia Reconstructionist Community

Positive Aging Blog: Gaming The Winter- January 2021

JANUARY POSITIVE AGING BLOG

GAMING THE WINTER

by Harriet Epstein

Let’s all say a hearty farewell to 2020 and give a big welcome to 2021!

As we leave autumn behind and enter winter, however, there are many things to take into account.  Please avoid your formerly beloved winter outdoor sports such as downhill skiing, ice fishing, and figure skating, etc.  Thanks to Covid, engaging in these sports with your mask on and your glasses fogging up is sure to be risky.  A few nights ago the game of pulling the trash can from the backyard to the front for pickup seemed a little too dangerous for me, thanks to the icy surfaces surrounding my house.  Also be sure to avoid those wonderful snow lifting contests where you go outside in the new fallen snow,  possibly with your spouse, to shovel the snow and ice off the car and the driveway.  There are no winners in this contest!  You are lucky if you live in an apartment or senior residence where someone is there to play these games for you.  Also remember to dress warmly, in layers, and stay dry outside, as hypothermia can creep up when you least expect it.  (See my blog from last winter for details on this).

If you anticipate having athletic urges, please line up a younger player such as a child, grandchild, neighbor, Boy Scout, Girl Scout, building custodian, or pro to take your place.

Turning our thoughts to indoor preparations, be sure to have plenty of dry, powdered, frozen, and canned food on your shelves.  I use Instacart for most of my grocery needs.  They will bring food from the grocery of your choice to your home quickly, and there are other companies that also do this.  Lots of restaurants are happy to deliver.  But stock up to be sure.  There are times when the snow is so high you can’t open your door.  Also find a pharmacy that will  deliver your meds.  And don’t be afraid to tell your doctors now, “If I have an appointment with you and the roads are bad, I will call you to reschedule.”  My motto, “In ice or snow, don’t go!”  Older folks who think they are in great shape, and ignore these suggestions, may wind up in worse shape than those who are careful.

Walk some every day – outside when clear, inside when slippery.  Prepare to be fit and ready to return to the games next spring!

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