INFORMAZIONI SU QUESTO EPISODIO
What does it mean to stay active, engaged, and curious as we grow older?
In this episode of Honestly Aging, Friends Life Care member Gerrie Schmidt shares her perspective on active aging and how retirement has given her the opportunity to embrace new experiences, stay connected, and make time for the things that bring her joy.
Gerrie talks about the role physical activity plays in maintaining strength and resilience, the importance of friendships and community, and why continuing to learn, volunteer, travel, and try new things adds meaning to this stage of life. She also reflects on adapting as we get older and one of her biggest realizations: aging well doesn’t simply happen by default.
She also shares what has surprised her most about getting older, including feeling more comfortable with herself and more present in the moment than ever before.
Whether you're approaching retirement or already enjoying this chapter of life, this conversation offers an encouraging look at staying engaged, connected, and open to what comes next.
#HonestlyAging #FriendsLifeCare #VigR #Podcast #ActiveAging #HealthyAging #AgingWell #VibrantAging #PositiveAging #HealthyRetirement #RetirementLife #StayActive #StayConnected #CommunityConnection #PurposefulLiving #AgingInPlace
Resources:
https://friendscentercity.org/fitc
Friends Life Care:
https://www.friendslifecare.org/
https://www.facebook.com/friendslifecare/
https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/friends-life-care-/
https://www.instagram.com/friendslifecare/
© 2026 Friends Life Care. All Rights Reserved.
MOSTRA NOTE 🔗
TRASCRIZIONE 🔗
00:00:08.081 --> 00:00:11.455
You're listening to Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care Vigor,
00:00:11.455 --> 00:00:15.935
a podcast where we explore what it's like getting older, the peaks,
00:00:16.144 --> 00:00:18.297
the valleys, and everything in between.
00:00:18.669 --> 00:00:25.170
In this season of Honestly Aging, we're exploring the many experiences that shape vibrant aging.
00:00:25.484 --> 00:00:29.071
I'm your host, Cheryl Proska. Let's grow old together.
00:00:29.722 --> 00:00:34.662
Today on Honestly Aging, I'm joined by Friends Life Care member Jerry Schmidt
00:00:34.946 --> 00:00:38.986
for a conversation about active aging, staying engaged,
00:00:39.288 --> 00:00:44.820
and continuing to do the things that bring meaning and joy to our lives as we grow older.
00:00:46.706 --> 00:00:51.576
Geri, welcome to Honestly Aging, and thank you so much for joining me today.
00:00:51.913 --> 00:00:54.770
Well, thank you, Cheryl. I'm delighted to be here.
00:00:56.279 --> 00:01:03.744
So before we talk about active aging, I'd love to give our listeners a chance to get to know you.
00:01:04.093 --> 00:01:08.801
Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and what your life looks like today?
00:01:09.898 --> 00:01:14.873
Well, I'd be happy to. My husband and I spent our working and child-rearing
00:01:14.873 --> 00:01:16.840
years in the New York area.
00:01:17.247 --> 00:01:22.135
So we both had heavy pressure jobs, a lot of commuting, and of course,
00:01:22.709 --> 00:01:24.583
kids in school and so forth.
00:01:24.583 --> 00:01:32.897
So we never had much time to devote to taking advantage of the city that we lived in near New York.
00:01:33.321 --> 00:01:39.538
So one of the things when we decided to retire is that we wanted to be urban.
00:01:40.107 --> 00:01:44.385
And we had been living in Philly when we were first married a bazillion years before.
00:01:44.908 --> 00:01:49.889
So we just decided to come back to Philadelphia, and that was about 18 years ago.
00:01:50.495 --> 00:01:58.109
So what are some of the activities and interests or people that keep you busy and bring you joy?
00:01:58.999 --> 00:02:04.053
You know what? Everything I do brings me joy. We're having such a good time
00:02:04.053 --> 00:02:09.163
after all of the prior stress that I just described. But the main thing is that
00:02:09.163 --> 00:02:13.745
we have recently decided to compress our bucket list for travel.
00:02:14.513 --> 00:02:18.713
So lately we're doing a lot of traveling because, you know, honestly,
00:02:19.113 --> 00:02:22.953
first of all, the world is changing a lot. Second of all, we don't know how
00:02:22.953 --> 00:02:26.519
long we will have the energy to do this. We just don't know.
00:02:26.798 --> 00:02:30.618
So we're trying to smoosh it to the degree we can.
00:02:30.856 --> 00:02:34.743
I mean, one of the first things we did when we moved to Philly was subscribe
00:02:34.743 --> 00:02:40.178
to the orchestra. So we go to a lot of musical performances. We love that.
00:02:40.392 --> 00:02:43.132
Mainly the orchestra, but also some other things. We like jazz.
00:02:44.044 --> 00:02:48.774
We joined an organization you may be familiar with called Friends in the City.
00:02:49.598 --> 00:02:56.168
That was practically the minute that I retired, we did that because I'd been
00:02:56.168 --> 00:03:00.074
working virtually here for two years before I retired and we knew no one.
00:03:00.672 --> 00:03:06.278
So we were early joiners of Friends in the City and we've been a part of that
00:03:06.278 --> 00:03:07.708
organization ever since.
00:03:07.708 --> 00:03:13.438
It's now got over 650 members. So that provides a lot of different activities,
00:03:13.438 --> 00:03:17.841
and I would say that's like the main social engine for us right now.
00:03:18.193 --> 00:03:22.399
I do yoga several times a week, and I exercise.
00:03:22.898 --> 00:03:28.988
I love webinars and podcasts on just all kinds of weird subjects,
00:03:28.988 --> 00:03:30.694
so I can listen to anything.
00:03:31.135 --> 00:03:34.737
And I'm also an avid indoor gardener.
00:03:34.888 --> 00:03:39.897
So taken all together, that keeps me pretty busy when I do volunteer work.
00:03:41.146 --> 00:03:45.048
So have you always been someone who likes to stay active and involved,
00:03:45.048 --> 00:03:48.122
or has this become more important as you've gotten older?
00:03:48.389 --> 00:03:50.172
This is retirement life.
00:03:50.485 --> 00:03:55.588
I mean, when we were working and had the kids and commuting,
00:03:55.588 --> 00:04:00.128
which was significant in the New York area, you know, that was our whole life.
00:04:00.128 --> 00:04:02.780
There was no possibility to do retirement.
00:04:04.347 --> 00:04:08.859
Other kinds of things. So we really didn't have a chance. And when I first retired,
00:04:08.859 --> 00:04:11.418
I was a little worried about it. It was kind of a challenge.
00:04:11.801 --> 00:04:13.548
What do you do if you have nothing to do?
00:04:14.640 --> 00:04:20.129
So we moved back to Philly in part for that reason, because you can't live in
00:04:20.129 --> 00:04:23.713
Center City, Philadelphia, and not have something to do. There's just too much here.
00:04:24.212 --> 00:04:26.476
I'd say that we're having a great time so far.
00:04:27.092 --> 00:04:33.289
Your husband, too? Yeah, for sure. So we often hear about the importance of
00:04:33.289 --> 00:04:38.980
staying active as we get older, but being active can mean something different to everyone.
00:04:39.321 --> 00:04:44.409
I'd love to hear your take on when you hear the words active aging,
00:04:44.409 --> 00:04:46.531
what does that personally mean to you?
00:04:47.162 --> 00:04:54.459
I think it means that you have a rare opportunity to do whatever you want in
00:04:54.459 --> 00:04:56.451
the time that is in front of you.
00:04:57.559 --> 00:05:04.161
But I've just observed myself that it's a lot easier if you start by protecting
00:05:04.161 --> 00:05:08.554
your physical strength and resiliency.
00:05:09.099 --> 00:05:14.821
One of the things that I've learned through experience is that the more you
00:05:14.821 --> 00:05:21.224
do, even if it's tiny things, the more you do, the more you can do.
00:05:22.547 --> 00:05:25.095
People are sometimes afraid to.
00:05:27.226 --> 00:05:33.341
Push past a little pain. But anybody in my age group has got a little pain.
00:05:33.341 --> 00:05:36.881
So the only way to deal with it is to push past it, you know,
00:05:36.881 --> 00:05:40.877
with some exceptions for serious conditions, understandably.
00:05:41.736 --> 00:05:48.040
And I liked what you said. Essentially, if you don't use it, you might lose it.
00:05:48.325 --> 00:05:54.751
So if you start giving up certain aspects of mobility or socialization or the
00:05:54.751 --> 00:05:58.629
things that you like, your world can start becoming a bit smaller
00:05:58.919 --> 00:06:03.714
and then that that does start creating its own problems. So a pandemic.
00:06:04.523 --> 00:06:09.306
I mean, I had I struggled with that because I love to be around people.
00:06:09.463 --> 00:06:19.411
So I mean, that really decreased a lot of my mental stimulation and socializing.
00:06:19.411 --> 00:06:22.159
So, yeah, I mean, I personally struggled with that.
00:06:22.882 --> 00:06:30.670
Well, this is the kind of resilience that that experience helps to enable, I think. Mm hmm.
00:06:32.035 --> 00:06:39.401
And so going back to the act of aging and staying active and involved,
00:06:39.999 --> 00:06:45.077
what would you say that really adds to your life, really focusing,
00:06:45.077 --> 00:06:46.959
making this a focus of your retirement?
00:06:47.598 --> 00:06:52.573
Well, I think I kind of said it before. We work very hard for a very long time,
00:06:53.089 --> 00:06:59.214
and we totally regard this as our opportunity to have fun and pursue interesting adventures.
00:07:00.796 --> 00:07:06.926
Neither of us is too good about being bored i suspect you're that way too so,
00:07:07.594 --> 00:07:13.117
here we are in philadelphia you wake up in the morning and literally a million
00:07:13.117 --> 00:07:17.697
things are at your feet that you could choose to do that day from volunteer
00:07:17.697 --> 00:07:22.037
work to cultural activities to history anything you want.
00:07:23.292 --> 00:07:28.266
This is a bit of a side question. Living in Philadelphia before and now for
00:07:28.266 --> 00:07:32.021
18 years, what are some of your favorite things about Philadelphia?
00:07:32.986 --> 00:07:39.036
Oh, my gosh. I'll tell you a very quick story. So I grew up in a military family,
00:07:39.036 --> 00:07:43.761
so I lived in some really blah places, a lot of really blah places.
00:07:44.353 --> 00:07:48.976
And then I went to college in Washington, D.C., which at that time,
00:07:48.976 --> 00:07:52.404
which was a long time ago, was still fairly blah.
00:07:52.968 --> 00:07:57.126
We moved to Philly and I saw all these different neighborhoods and all these
00:07:57.126 --> 00:08:04.869
different ethnicities and all of this historical and cultural opportunity.
00:08:05.363 --> 00:08:08.793
And, you know, we kind of fell in love with it.
00:08:09.435 --> 00:08:11.456
I personally believe that Philadelphia
00:08:11.456 --> 00:08:16.471
is a really terrific place to spend this time in life. Mm-hmm.
00:08:17.638 --> 00:08:23.926
So how would you say that your perspective on what it means to age well has
00:08:23.926 --> 00:08:26.179
changed as you've gotten older?
00:08:27.397 --> 00:08:33.986
Well, I guess the thing that was the biggest awakening is that I discovered
00:08:33.986 --> 00:08:40.248
that aging well doesn't come to you by default, either mentally or physically.
00:08:41.235 --> 00:08:49.592
And I've kind of learned that it requires a some investment in the effort of aging well.
00:08:50.190 --> 00:08:57.347
And so that's what my activities, my exercise, and so forth is doing.
00:08:59.227 --> 00:09:02.257
And what has surprised you most about this stage of life?
00:09:03.029 --> 00:09:08.079
That I have never in my entire life been more comfortable with myself.
00:09:09.403 --> 00:09:11.364
And I find somehow,
00:09:14.318 --> 00:09:19.281
that there's this aspiration of living in the moment and I'm closer to that
00:09:19.430 --> 00:09:22.483
at this point in life than I ever was before.
00:09:23.672 --> 00:09:29.033
And to me, that's so inspirational and aspirational where, you know,
00:09:29.593 --> 00:09:33.273
as I've gotten older, I've started to feel more comfortable with myself and
00:09:33.273 --> 00:09:40.203
to know that that only deepens or I have the opportunity to deepen it as I get older, too.
00:09:40.203 --> 00:09:44.159
So I just I just love to hear that. Something something to look forward to.
00:09:45.873 --> 00:09:51.583
And we deserve that. Mm-hmm. Now, we've been touching on the fact that active
00:09:51.583 --> 00:09:56.246
aging isn't exclusively about physical activity.
00:09:56.519 --> 00:09:58.773
It's also about continuing to
00:09:58.773 --> 00:10:03.712
learn and connect with others and find purpose in the things that we do.
00:10:04.205 --> 00:10:09.573
Now, I do still want to focus on the physical activity. And I know you mentioned,
00:10:09.573 --> 00:10:12.872
you know, Philly's a walkable city and you do some yoga.
00:10:13.569 --> 00:10:20.011
How would you say that physical activity, what role does that play in your life today?
00:10:20.629 --> 00:10:27.053
I think of it as foundational because, as I said before, the more you do, the more you can do.
00:10:27.893 --> 00:10:33.103
So I might not feel like doing it every day, but I know it's in my own best
00:10:33.103 --> 00:10:37.155
interest to do at least a little every day.
00:10:38.319 --> 00:10:41.610
Just to walk around the city requires a certain amount of resilience.
00:10:42.173 --> 00:10:44.751
So for me, it's a good investment.
00:10:45.846 --> 00:10:52.193
And what keeps you mentally active and curious? Well, that's such an interesting
00:10:52.193 --> 00:10:57.403
question. I think to some degree, it's just a characteristic that I was born with.
00:10:57.815 --> 00:11:02.836
But, you know, I'm repeating myself again, but there's so much here in Philly.
00:11:03.358 --> 00:11:09.541
And participating in organizations like FITSI, Friends in the City,
00:11:09.976 --> 00:11:15.002
helps because you get invitations to wonderful things you'd never think of doing yourself.
00:11:15.397 --> 00:11:22.602
And so I think being active with other people is a wonderful way to keep at it.
00:11:24.004 --> 00:11:30.116
And is there anything more that you want to say about the role that your friendships,
00:11:30.116 --> 00:11:33.014
family, and your community play in your life?
00:11:33.695 --> 00:11:37.706
Yeah. I think I mentioned before I grew up in a military family,
00:11:37.706 --> 00:11:42.201
which means that I moved a lot and I was perpetually the new girl.
00:11:43.276 --> 00:11:48.736
That was like until I was in college. And nowadays, you know,
00:11:48.736 --> 00:11:52.798
a lot of people think about moving to different communities when they're older and so on and so forth.
00:11:53.525 --> 00:11:58.146
Nothing gives me a bigger thrill than being out and about and having someone
00:11:58.146 --> 00:12:03.817
recognize me and say hi, because that's not any experience that I had when I was younger.
00:12:04.392 --> 00:12:11.597
And I just think the value of community is something we should never take for granted.
00:12:12.666 --> 00:12:18.246
And you might have touched on it already, but I just want to focus on the word
00:12:18.246 --> 00:12:23.406
purpose, because that's such a big part of life, and especially maintaining
00:12:23.406 --> 00:12:27.324
that purpose in a retirement portion of your life.
00:12:27.643 --> 00:12:32.850
So what right now is giving you a sense of purpose?
00:12:33.538 --> 00:12:36.911
Well, for me, it's my family.
00:12:37.889 --> 00:12:42.910
I am involved in several volunteer activities, which I think is really important.
00:12:44.063 --> 00:12:50.396
It's, you know, doing for others is one of the three criteria they they tout for happiness.
00:12:52.451 --> 00:12:57.161
The other two are social connections and gratitude.
00:12:57.921 --> 00:13:07.408
So gratitude, having a social network, and doing for others are the purported keys to happiness.
00:13:07.756 --> 00:13:12.556
So, And the other thing that I've been focusing on, trying to focus on lately
00:13:12.556 --> 00:13:16.452
is just because we need it, is just being kind.
00:13:18.498 --> 00:13:22.991
Is there anything that you want to share about the volunteer work that you're doing?
00:13:23.884 --> 00:13:30.477
Well, after I retired, I was sort of leveraging what my career had been,
00:13:30.477 --> 00:13:36.177
and I produced websites for three different nonprofit groups.
00:13:36.177 --> 00:13:40.487
So I did that. I don't do that anymore because technology became a little bit
00:13:40.487 --> 00:13:42.089
of a challenge as I got older.
00:13:42.339 --> 00:13:46.247
And that's not a reflection on my age. That's a reflection on technology.
00:13:46.827 --> 00:13:54.707
But I do some volunteer work with HIAS, which is an immigration organization. And,
00:13:56.727 --> 00:14:00.567
I guess it's volunteer work, but I volunteer for the Penn Memory Center.
00:14:00.567 --> 00:14:05.887
I'm just a study subject, probably a control subject. I don't really know.
00:14:05.887 --> 00:14:11.224
But I'm doing my third or fourth study for them.
00:14:12.187 --> 00:14:14.707
So that keeps me pretty busy.
00:14:15.824 --> 00:14:21.822
And I do a few other things as well. I've been doing a lot of political stuff lately, too.
00:14:22.576 --> 00:14:28.547
Well, thank you for everything that you're giving back to the community and,
00:14:29.027 --> 00:14:32.527
being able to make a difference, you know, where you've been living for 18 years
00:14:32.847 --> 00:14:36.207
and before. So 18 plus years. 18 plus.
00:14:38.447 --> 00:14:42.829
Two and a half. So, of course, staying active, it's not going to mean that everything stays the same.
00:14:42.992 --> 00:14:49.402
And just an aspect of aging can also mean having to learn how to adapt.
00:14:50.520 --> 00:14:57.977
Have you had to adjust how you stay active or do the things that you enjoy as
00:14:57.977 --> 00:15:00.226
you've gotten older? Absolutely.
00:15:01.909 --> 00:15:06.558
My walks are shorter than they used to be. I mean, we used to love hiking.
00:15:07.017 --> 00:15:11.533
We don't do that anymore. It's just not a good idea for us.
00:15:12.178 --> 00:15:15.611
Bedtime is earlier, which I'm now grateful for.
00:15:16.865 --> 00:15:23.359
And I find myself saying, huh, much too often, huh? Much too often.
00:15:24.460 --> 00:15:30.551
But aside from that, I haven't really adjusted to other things much.
00:15:31.944 --> 00:15:35.467
What's something you think people misunderstand about getting older?
00:15:36.530 --> 00:15:41.935
Well, I'm very frustrated with what I see as rampant ageism.
00:15:41.935 --> 00:15:46.560
Anybody watching or listening to this podcast will understand that.
00:15:48.581 --> 00:15:52.905
The big secret is that people only look older inside.
00:15:53.172 --> 00:15:56.028
They're still the same people they were in their 30s and 40s,
00:15:56.417 --> 00:16:01.325
but I find a lot of people to be pretty patronizing with older people.
00:16:01.325 --> 00:16:05.125
Like, I happen to come from a high-tech background, so I'm pretty techie.
00:16:05.125 --> 00:16:10.052
And when I go into a shop and people are explaining to me how to click a link.
00:16:12.105 --> 00:16:17.355
I get pretty upset about it. So I wish there was a way that we could deliver
00:16:17.355 --> 00:16:22.827
the message that old people are just young people inside old bodies.
00:16:24.102 --> 00:16:31.315
And uh early days of the podcast i had gerontologist on and she did her graduate
00:16:31.315 --> 00:16:34.805
studies on ageism and a line that
00:16:35.185 --> 00:16:43.220
i keep close to my heart is ageism is discriminating against your older self
00:16:43.528 --> 00:16:46.005
because hopefully we all do,
00:16:46.505 --> 00:16:53.066
get to become older older and wiser and all the wisdom that older adults have,
00:16:53.257 --> 00:16:57.925
it's just never made sense to me why there is ageism.
00:16:58.885 --> 00:17:03.555
I've just never, never understood it because there's nothing I love more than
00:17:03.555 --> 00:17:10.355
having a conversation with someone who has just years and years and years of life and experience.
00:17:10.355 --> 00:17:15.084
It just goes in the bucket with all other isms, right? It's bias.
00:17:16.418 --> 00:17:21.985
Maybe people will learn. And one thing that to the degree that I'm able that
00:17:21.985 --> 00:17:27.005
I enjoy doing is to disprove what being 80 looks like.
00:17:28.881 --> 00:17:33.446
Would you prefer to age independently in your own home or live in a nursing
00:17:33.446 --> 00:17:35.947
facility? I know what I'd rather do.
00:17:36.271 --> 00:17:39.146
Friends Life Care membership offers just that.
00:17:39.552 --> 00:17:44.440
Plan today for a future lived at home with vitality, independence,
00:17:44.649 --> 00:17:47.881
growth, and resilience while protecting your savings.
00:17:48.219 --> 00:17:51.353
Learn about your options at a free seminar or webinar.
00:17:51.876 --> 00:18:00.357
Register at friendslifecare.org slash register or call 215-628-8964.
00:18:02.453 --> 00:18:05.808
Welcome back to Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care Vigor.
00:18:06.098 --> 00:18:10.986
Today, I'm joined by Friends Life Care member Jerry Schmidt for a conversation
00:18:10.986 --> 00:18:15.252
about active aging and what it means to stay engaged, connected,
00:18:15.404 --> 00:18:20.187
and doing the things that bring meaning and joy to our lives as we grow older.
00:18:21.840 --> 00:18:25.296
Another part of Aging Well is thinking about the future while,
00:18:25.296 --> 00:18:28.882
of course, continuing to enjoy the life that we're living right now.
00:18:29.579 --> 00:18:34.006
Since you're a Friends Life Care member, I'd like to hear from you what first
00:18:34.006 --> 00:18:39.326
got you thinking about planning ahead for your own aging and led you to become
00:18:39.326 --> 00:18:40.620
a Friends Life Care member.
00:18:41.244 --> 00:18:46.116
Well, neither my husband nor I remember how we found out about Friends Life
00:18:46.116 --> 00:18:49.903
Care, but we found out shortly after we had moved here.
00:18:50.414 --> 00:18:54.316
We must have seen an ad or something. And we'd only been here a couple of months
00:18:54.316 --> 00:18:59.022
before a friend's life rep came and met with us.
00:18:59.551 --> 00:19:06.040
And I think it's partly because we did know that we wanted to be independent,
00:19:06.394 --> 00:19:09.877
either forever or for as long as possible.
00:19:10.260 --> 00:19:14.616
And it seemed such an attractive way to be able to do that.
00:19:15.156 --> 00:19:18.156
And we obviously don't want to, I mean, everybody feels that way.
00:19:18.156 --> 00:19:19.834
We don't want to be a burden on our kids.
00:19:20.089 --> 00:19:25.586
We want to just be independent in that regard, too. So it's very comforting
00:19:25.586 --> 00:19:32.086
to know that Friends Life Care will provide someone to help manage details if
00:19:32.086 --> 00:19:33.629
and when we get to that point.
00:19:34.697 --> 00:19:38.000
Has having a plan in place affected the way you approach your life?
00:19:39.192 --> 00:19:43.563
I don't think about it a lot. I don't have to, right? Yes, correct.
00:19:43.563 --> 00:19:46.948
I feel like I've done it. We did it 18 years ago.
00:19:47.441 --> 00:19:50.253
We still just keep moving. Keep moving. I love it.
00:19:51.749 --> 00:19:57.943
The one thing I love about the idea of active aging is that there are always
00:19:57.943 --> 00:20:01.590
new things to experience and things to look forward to.
00:20:01.933 --> 00:20:05.410
What are you looking forward to at this point in your life?
00:20:06.006 --> 00:20:10.673
That bucket list of places to travel We'd made this conscious decision to compress
00:20:10.673 --> 00:20:16.279
it As I said before And now we just have to get out and do it So,
00:20:16.975 --> 00:20:20.393
And of course, you know, my grandchildren are getting older And,
00:20:20.693 --> 00:20:26.852
you know, we're just really anxious to see What paths they choose for their lives So,
00:20:27.913 --> 00:20:31.569
I think that those are the things that we look forward to most Next.
00:20:32.624 --> 00:20:37.059
Are you willing to share what's number one on your travel bucket list?
00:20:38.109 --> 00:20:40.872
Mine or my husband's? Let's hear both.
00:20:42.178 --> 00:20:47.059
We're going to Scotland in September for his big birthday.
00:20:47.639 --> 00:20:51.958
Number one on my travel bucket list is New Zealand.
00:20:53.168 --> 00:21:01.441
Wow. I have the best time in Scotland, and I hope New Zealand is soon behind it. Thank you very much.
00:21:02.562 --> 00:21:08.906
So what advice would you give someone who wants to stay active and engaged as they get older?
00:21:09.646 --> 00:21:13.802
Here we go. I'm ready for this one. Just do it.
00:21:15.156 --> 00:21:20.682
Just do it. You're not going to find it in your easy chair in your living room.
00:21:21.901 --> 00:21:25.198
You have to find it. Agreed.
00:21:26.189 --> 00:21:31.221
And lastly, if someone met you today, what would you want them to know about
00:21:31.221 --> 00:21:33.457
aging from your experience?
00:21:34.210 --> 00:21:38.390
You know, I've never been athletic. I talk about exercising a lot.
00:21:38.721 --> 00:21:40.748
This is a recent development.
00:21:41.357 --> 00:21:47.845
It's one that I find extraordinarily rewarding, and I'm just doing it because
00:21:48.089 --> 00:21:54.057
I'm now physically stronger, and I would say that I experience less stress,
00:21:54.794 --> 00:21:58.155
and more fun than I ever have before in my life.
00:21:58.870 --> 00:22:04.941
Amazing. Well, Jerry, thank you so much for joining me today and sharing your
00:22:04.941 --> 00:22:08.482
experiences and perspective with us. It's been a pleasure.
00:22:08.947 --> 00:22:11.667
Cheryl, thank you very much. I've really enjoyed our chat.
00:22:13.066 --> 00:22:16.901
Thank you for listening to Honestly Aging by Friends Life Care Vigor,
00:22:16.901 --> 00:22:21.675
a unique program focused on aging with vitality, independence,
00:22:21.919 --> 00:22:23.469
growth, and resilience.
00:22:23.759 --> 00:22:29.501
You can find links and show notes from this episode on our website at friendslifecare.org.