A few updates on bats and feeling better
- col-teri-stein
- March 20, 2025
- 716
After my last column on the bat that invaded my sister-in-law’s home while she and I cowered in fear screaming uncontrollably, it seems nearly everyone has a bat story. I’m enjoying hearing them.
Here are a couple of the best. One friend opened her door to let out a bat, and two birds flew in. Now that’s a bad day. But here is a good tip. Another friend held up a small wastebasket above her head. As if on cue, the bat flew into the wastebasket and landed. She covered it up with a rug and dumped the bat out an open window. I wonder if this would work a second time, but I really don’t want to have to test it out. Readers, please just let me know.
Meanwhile, in case you were wondering about the bat at my sister-in-law’s house, it has not yet made another appearance. Screaming does work.
In another update, my attack of old age I suffered in January where I couldn’t move my left arm without extreme pain is now on the mend too. I know I could have prevented it.
Preretirement, when I was still working with people with developmental disabilities, we decided to get a membership at the local fitness center and take groups to exercise every day. I was picked to be one of the staff members to go, which was fine with me because I like to exercise. I’m not going to go and look at my phone the entire time. I’m going to exercise along with them and show them exercise is good. We took advantage of classes, the indoor walking track and the exercise machines five days a week.
Two months later I was in the best shape of my life. I had energy. I was in my 50s, but I could stoop down and stand back up like I was in elementary school. But then some of the other staff who liked to exercise wanted to get on the schedule too, so we began to trade off, and it wasn’t as good for me.
I was telling this story to my sister one day when we were out on a walk. And then it hit me. Being a senior citizen has its advantages, well, not as many as being young, but there are a few senior discounts. Through my insurance I was eligible to sign up for a free senior exercise service that offered classes online. Although I still like to attend in-person exercise classes, I had no excuse for not exercising every single day.
You save time and money with online classes too. You can do them in your pajamas. You don’t have to leave your home and drive somewhere. You can do the cooldown and head right to the kitchen for breakfast.
It’s been over three weeks now of daily exercise, and I’m feeling better — not elementary school age better, but late 60s better. The service offers a variety of classes seven days a week. I’ve got my favorites and set my alarm on some days to make sure I’m up to do my favorite 7:30 a.m. yoga class. It helps with feeling like I’m keeping some sort of a schedule too and am not just a slug.
I had been slacking off of using hand weights before the big attack of old age, but now I am back to using 5-pound hand weights almost daily. At first they seemed very heavy, but today they weren’t so bad.
I’m not sure what classes I’ll do tomorrow; I might just walk with my sister. But I’m already signed up for my favorite online exercise classes the next day. I’ll still get out and do my regular in-person class, but these online classes are proving to be a life saver because who wants another attack of old age?