The Peterson clan recently celebrated our bi-annual family reunion in Orlando, Florida. We rented a nine bedroom house in the ChampionsGate complex near Disney. Although I have lost a brother and sister in the past three years, my parents, my remaining two siblings, and all the downstream spouses and kids gathered for three days to just be together. My sister Linda organized the event and, smartly, didn’t organize much to do. With no minute-by-minute agenda, the only plans were laughing, catching up, playing games, swimming, and air hockey. Yes, the rental had an air hockey table in the garage, and we held a two-tier tournament—the winner of the youth division played the winner of the adult division. Linda’s knuckles are still recovering from being pummeled numerous times by the plastic puck that flew at near light speed. (Though my nephew Michael Baskin was the winner, I should note a later review of the international air hockey rules revealed his style violated multiple of these rules. We would have disqualified him, but, to be fair, everyone else was violating similar rules.)
The highlight of every Peterson reunion is normally the volleyball game, but this year, for me at least, it was the pool. After several epic volleyball games, we would go jump in the water to cool off. The pool complex included a “lazy river” where you can float in a somewhat circular path propelled by jets of water. My mom and dad, 87 and 89, sat in nearby lounge chairs the first couple times we did this. However, on the third day, my mom, a breast cancer survivor, had prepared to participat
e. She had a swimsuit, and she made sure my dad had one as well. They jumped in, we formed a chain, and we probably went around the lazy river 100 times. It was glorious!
Here’s the thing: My parents are super seniors. They have earned the right to just sit on the sidelines and enjoy the view. But they remain active, within reason. They no longer join in the volleyball games, but they keep their minds and bodies active in most every other way. It’s a good lesson for us all. The more active we stay, the less likely we will encounter health problems down the line. But we can’t just wait until we “get old” to decide to get active. It needs to be a lifelong commitment that we continue even in our reclining years, just like my parents still do.
I am thankful for my parents on many levels, but I most admire their spirit and willingness to enjoy life without complaint as it presents itself to them. Choose being active. Choose joy over sorrow. Stop complaining about what isn’t working and rejoice over what is. Your mindset can change your physiological being. Make it so.