Popped into a library the other day and came out with Dick van Dyke’s Keep Moving. Thought it would be a bit of light celebrity fluff, but two wet afternoons later I’d finished the lot. The man’s 94, still does a bit of a soft-shoe shuffle, and talks more sense about ageing than most doctors I’ve met.
One chapter in particular hit home. He says when a stick is no longer enough and you’re wobbling like a jelly on a plate, switching to a decent rollator with a seat and proper brakes isn’t “giving in”, it’s giving yourself your life back. I laughed out loud because I only made the change myself last year and honestly wish I’d done it five years sooner. Suddenly the high street, the park, even the grandchildren’s school plays were possible again without arriving half-dead or terrifying the family.
If any of you fancy something uplifting that doesn’t preach, do borrow it. Has anyone else read it? Or got other books that helped you make peace with the practical side of getting older? My bedside pile is always ready for one more.
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