Keep On Keepin' On

Probably the thing I am impressed most about by this country, is the elderly. They are just as active as their twenty/thirtysomething counterparts. Compared to these counterparts in the U.S. they are way more active.

The are everywhere, for one...they're hiking, they're climbing through caves and down steep steps carved out of stone at the Rhein Falls. (where I fell down after my first five minutes on the scene.)

These guys just strap on their little canes to right underneath their elbows and there is no stopping them. They run for the buses, the trams, the trains. They will hipcheck you out of the way if you are taking too long to get onto one of these forms of transportation. It is refreshing to have a constant reminder everyday, that life never stops....not even when some of your body parts do. You just have to drag them along with you and keep on keepin'on.

I think back to some of the people I know back home just in their early sixties and how they have let every infirmary they have keep them down...on the couch, in the bed, depressed and worried about what might happen if they DIDN'T listen to their Dr. and actually got up and out of the bubble they have put themselves in. They seem so much older than the old ones here. It's even in their faces: "that's it...I've hit 60..where's the nearest casino?"

My mother's mom was vain enough to the point where when she had to start using a cane, she just gave up her activities. My dad's mom was vain to the point of refusing to where a hearing aide once she lost all of her hearing. Imagine having a grandmother completely capable of interacting with you...just choosing not to...just giving up.

The Swiss would never do that, I suspect. I suppose their may be a few exceptions here. I've only been around a few months. But the majority of the people I see running around here like mad are not my age..they're much older and they accomplish it any possible way they can.