Welcome

Welcome to Old Folk Still Dance! 

I'm Tricia and this is my new venture - blogging!

I'm learning as I go along, which is not bad for someone who turned 60 some years ago and already has a bus pass, albeit unused as yet!

So, why Old Folk Still Dance??? Well, this is not a blog about ballroom, tea-dances or Strictly Come Dancing!
It is about a having a positive, joyful attitude - metaphorically, if not literally, dancing with and through life........

Quite a lot of things have conspired together to make me decide to give this a go....... and after a number of failed attempts to find a suitable title that hadn't already been nabbed, I decided 'Old Folk Still Dance!' summed it, and me, up! I have always loved dancing, have attempted to learn ballroom and can still be found doing my own version of Granny dancing at weddings, parties and anywhere there is live music being played! But 'Old Folk Still Dance' is about bringing the joy and exuberance of dancing to everything that we do. Even if life is a struggle at times - and I've had my fair share of those times too!

Since I retired I have become increasingly concerned about and, quite frankly, annoyed by the increasing negativity towards older people being expressed in all kinds of ways in the UK in recent times. Whilst many other cultures value their senior citizens, it seems that here being over a certain age is increasingly perceived as being 'past it', an infirm drain on stretched resources, a reason to be told to stop doing all kinds of things that very many of us 'oldies' are still perfectly capable of doing! And the negative generalising about seniors is very unbalanced, unjustified and unfair! It seems an ageing population is responsible for stretching our NHS to breaking point! Really? What about the vast increase in the numbers of people of all ages whose obesity, diabetes, smoking, drinking, heart disease etc is costing the NHS billions??
Here is just one example -   Diabetes up 60% in last decade and just this week this was in the news. 

I can assure you that as a perfectly fit 60 something (the pic above was taken when I was 63!) who still hikes 12 miles up 3000 ft high peaks, swims 30+ lengths at least twice a week, can stay up dancing till the early hours with the best of them and rarely has need to visit the doctor, these negative, age-based perceptions are concerning indeed!! And there are very many more fit and active so-called 'Oldies' in their 60s, 70s, and 80s who feel the same. My 86 year old Dad still works out on an exercise bike and lifts weights every day! And just look at the Seniors participating in the London Marathon every year!

What we are capable of has little to do with the number of years we've been on the planet but how we live them!! It's not the number of years in our lives but the life in our years that surely matters!! And many of us still have plenty of life in us yet and are very able to live it to the full! We are still actively contributing to society not draining it! We are still dancing with life....... Hence the title........

You may be interested to watch this TED talk Let's End Ageism  

I did a little bit of blogging once before, about three years ago, but some very sudden and pretty dramatic changes to my life circumstances caused that to come to an abrupt end...... You can still find that attempt here: Happy Hooky if you're interested. That blog was mostly about crafting tho'.....

This time around my blog will be more about reflecting on the experience of getting older...... and continuing to live every day actively, with enthusiasm and vigour, pursuing old passions and discovering new ones! Living in North Yorkshire gives me plenty of opportunity to indulge my passion for crafts, walking/hiking, nature and the outdoors, stunning landscapes and taking pics of it all!

So if you're new here, so am I!! Stay, have a look around and watch me dancing through my senior years metaphorically and literally! And please get in touch!

Keep dancing! xx

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