Our Good Friends

These are the old friends that we had lunch with. They were at our wedding 6 years ago.

We just returned from a lunch with good friends. We've known each other since we were in school together. We don't live close, so our visits are fewer than before. We meet with hugs and pick up just like we had been together the day before. Once we get to the table...it's like old times. We laugh, joke, and find our old age ways kind of funny.Our bodies have changed and our hair color is different. We all have stories to tell. Tales of upside down tomatoes, neighborhood children, our own families, other friends, and of course our beloved dogs. The computer keeps us closer than we would be without it. Daily emails and funny jokes keep our friendship tight. One of us is having some physical problems. It is hard seeing an old friend changing, but it happens to all of us at one time or another. I just sent an email to thank them ...and said that we are all still the same inside it's just our bodies that are changing. I have a theory about surviving old age...we are all doing it.. only at different speeds. We will all get there in our own time. As long as we can...we should help each other, not be embarrassed to ask for that help, and just enjoy each other, knowing that right now we can help...tomorrow we may be on the receiving end. God gives us these trials to make us stronger and to find out what we are made of. This is when we earn our wings in heaven, I think. We left each other and were quiet on the way home. It's a tough thing...getting old, but we oldsters are tough too. We will be there for each other through thick and thin. The love we have for old friends will always be strong ...though our bodies may be weaker.

I found the information below on the internet..I think Time.com. I thought it interesting. Maybe you would like to read it.

Going to the ballpark, visiting friends and playing bingo are simple diversions for many of us. But for the elderly, these social pastimes may play a critical role in preserving their physical and mental health.
In fact, a new study suggests that the less time older people spend engaged in social activity, the faster their motor function tends to decline. Everybody in their 60s, 70s and 80s is walking more slowly than they did when they were 25 An increasing body of evidence has suggested that participating in mentally stimulating activity, socializing frequently and exercising may help protect against age-related decline — at least cognitive decline. Physical exercise produces a protein that helps keep neurons from dying and spurs the formation of new neural connections in the brain. More recently in studies of elderly dogs and mice that enriching their social environment is associated with improvement in brain function.
But what has social activity got to do with motor skills? Increased social activity was associated with adeptness in a range of physical tasks, including walking in a straight line, standing one-legged and on tiptoes, turning full circle without falling and placing pegs on a board. The idea that cognitive and physical function are connected is something that has just come out in the last few years. Studies show that changes in walking patterns could be an early sign of dementia.
It's likely that a reduction in social activity may simply be a symptom of physical decline, since people may naturally withdraw from social engagement as they lose motor skills — most researchers would agree that it is not unreasonable to encourage seniors to get out there more. Only 10% of people over 65 get the recommended amount of exercise and given that seniors already tend to be more socially isolated than younger adults, it's difficult to motivate them to become more active. It might help, though, if you visit with Grandma more often and let her know that a regular pastime may just help her stay fitter and sharper longer.

Balisha