Older People and Remarkable Achievements

In ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ the Caterpillar askes Alice to recite a poem. Alice starts:

“You are old, father William,” the young man said,
“And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head,
Do you think, at your age, it is right?

The poem’s a conversation between a son and his old father, William. William’s remarkable achievements include standing on his head, turning a back somersault, and eating a whole goose…

Yesterday I leant of three older people’s remarkable achievements…

… I remember the Portuguese athlete Rosa Mota winning marathons in the 1980s… She’s the first woman over 65 to run 10K in under 40 minutes; Rosa’s set a new world record – 38:23…

…My friend Richard’s been retired for a while now. He’s a gifted, skilful man, constantly active, often making things. Yesterday’s creation was this wonderful dragonfly…

… Fit and active 91-year-old Helen Craig, best known as the illustrator of the children’s Angelina Ballerina, is exhibiting her art, sculptures, portraits of celebrities – artwork she’s produced over seven decades…

Many of the older people I chat to speak fondly of past achievements – jobs, careers, sports, hobbies, travels… Nostalgia’s great but… yesterday reminded me that, whatever our age, remarkable achievements aren’t just a thing of the past; they’re still possible now.

Returning to Father William:

“You are old,” said the youth, “one would hardly suppose
That your eye was as steady as every;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose,
What made you so awfully clever?”

Father William’s great! His achievements are spectacular… but I sense that the young son is most impressed not but what his old Father can do, but the sort of man he is. It’s not just about the quality of the achievement; it’s more about the quality of the man.

I’m about to go to my Men’s Shed. I shall meet Richard and other gifted men who can achieve much. What is more impressive is the quality of the men themselves.