Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Working Out Doesn't Guarantee a Long Life...

Earlier this month I wrote a post about baby boomers and death (May 8). I wrote it after observing a grave site service in which there were fewer than a dozen elderly people in attendance. I was reminded of that post today when I went to the gym.

I saw an employee I hadn’t seen in awhile and she was catching me up on the “gang.” I learned that my dear, sweet friend Marvin passed away. Marvin was an 84-year-old wonderful man who LIVED in the gym. He always had a smile on his face and was always giving you a hug upon entering and leaving the gym. We developed a bond. He even went to church with me a couple of times and I tagged along with him once to see how the Methodists worshipped. Marvin apparently died after having a stroke late last year.

Linda Ross was another gym buddy. I didn’t know her as well as Marvin. I just remember her rushing into our aerobics class after finishing her chemotherapy treatments. She died a few months ago of breast cancer.

And then there was the man I wrote about in my book, Whatever! A Baby Boomer’s Journey Into Middle Age. He was the one who worked out while carrying an oxygen tank strapped around his waist. I admired his tenacity so much. He inspired me to get off my fat butt. He, too, passed away.

I feel bad about having stayed away from the gym for so long. I never got to get my last hug from Marvin or to see Linda’s smiling face. I never got to let the man with the oxygen tank know I had written about him. All I can say now is if there’s a gym in Heaven, I know they’re all there and plenty of folks are being blessed by their presence.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It does seem that genetics has a lot to do with longevity. My grandmother just passed away at 95 and she never went near a gym. But her father, who also lived well into his 90s, rode his bicycle every day of his life. So who knows? I think working out makes us feel great and that's a great reason to do it. And from your post, it seems that you can meet a lot of wonderful people in the process, too.

Carine-what's cooking? said...

oh bev, I'm sorry for the loss of your friends. No exercise/diet only goes so far, like Kathy said, genetics play a big part in what lies ahead for us baby boomers

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