The Energetic Eighties - Real Women Speak

By Gwen Curran

Now that my daughters are in what Gail Sheehy calls “ the flaming fifties”, I feel I am in the Energetic eighties!

This past holiday season was a swirl of shopping, exercise, writing, parties, travel, friends, and family.  All through it, I felt at the top of my game until I caught a cold, and possible strep throat the last day of my visit to New York City to be with one of my daughters and her family.  Not having had a cold since I retired in 1999, it really laid me low.  Luckily, my daughter took me to Urgent Care in Brooklyn where the wonderful doctor gave me antibiotics and an inhaler to prepare me for my flight to Seattle to be with my older daughter, and her husband for a week.  By the time Heather picked me up at the airport, I couldn’t hear, and only wanted to rest.

It is amazing how a cold could knock the pins out from under me.  However, we all know to go with the flow and do what is best for our bodies.  Heather and I readjusted our plans, I went to bed fairly early each night, and bundled up against the damp Seattle weather when we went out.  We limited our excursions to the afternoon, and an excellent gourmet lunch was part of the agenda.  She lives in Columbia City, which is in south Seattle, so we took the Light Rail everywhere.  Very convenient.  All of the touristy things were inside.  A film, the Chihuly glass Museum, Georgetown, the Museum of Flight, and the International District were all part of our plan, plus we snuck in two short walks around Lake Washington.  My energy was low, so I worked hard to conserve it and not try to pretend I wasn’t sick.  We walked slower than normal, and found places to rest for a few moments wherever we were.

It was a real treat to spend one week in New York City and one week in Seattle, in spite of the cold bug.  This past week I have rested at home here in Eugene.  Tomorrow I will start back to my exercise classes at the Fitness Center, and next week will add back my Nia and Zumba classes, and get that eighties energy back!

A lifetime of movement, good nutrition, and watching my weight did help with my fighting off the infection.  Of course, I did get a flu shot in October, and my doctor wants me to get a pneumonia booster shot, just in case.

Hopefully, your holiday was full of good cheer, wellness, family and friends.  May 2015 continue to bring you the best your life has to offer.

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Welcome to Real Women Speak, where you’ll hear the voices of Oregon women who are struggling, soaring, muddling through and motivated to move forward.

Inspired by  Decide.Create.Share, this blog chronicles stories from lighthearted happenings to questions of fortitude. From life-altering changes to simple anecdotes, our shared narratives serve to inspire, guide, and connect us.

Every woman has a voice. AARP Oregon seeks to amplify them.

About our guest blogger: Gwen Curran, retired teacher who has volunteered with OR AARP for 10 years.  Right now she is finishing her first novel and will publish by 2015.  She is also a member of Senior Moments, a Eugene performing dance group, writes the dance reviews for the Eugene Register Guard, enjoys her friends, and stays in close touch with her family in California, New York City, Seattle, and Denver.  Life is good.