Dear Nesta,
How you girlchile? Still keepin’ de flag flyin’ an’ doin’ fine, I hope. Y’know, I always like to “touch base” wid yuh. I down hey gettin’ nuff exercise dodgin’ an’ weavin’ – flit can in han’ – tryin’ to steer clear o’ dah dengue mosquito. I en got no intention fuh dah li’l brute to ketch muh an’ cause trouble.
But today, I got some news dat should mek yuh feel good. No, I en hear yet ’bout no apologies from anybody, nor neffin so, an’ aldoh I keep hopin’, I en win no big set o’ money. I talkin’ ’bout we Bajan Seniors dat went to Utah fuh de recent Huntsman World Senior Games an’ come home wid medals galore. Dis group does go up to Amurica to tek part in de Worl’ Senior Games an’ ’dis time duh win a bariffle o’ medals. Well . . . Sparrow said it long ago, an’ de Bajan “golden brigade” continue to prove it true – age is jes’ a number. Dese seniors en gettin’ older, duh jes’ gettin’ better.
Is always right to gi’e Jack ’e jacket, so we shun fuhget dat in de firs’ place, Hammie-La was de body dat had de bright idea o’ hol’in’ games to show older folks could get outta de rockin’ chair an’ start “rockin” ’pon de fiel’, long after fifty. Dese Games turn out to be quite successful an’ Bajans now look forward to dem – Philomena don’ miss dem fuh a joke, only tekkin’ part as a spectator doh.
Apart from de local games, de group does also compete overseas in de Worl’ Senior Games in Utah, an’ always return home wid medals. Dis year duh outdo duhselves, bringin’ home a total o’ 88 in all – 42 gol’, 25 silver an’ 21 bronze. To help tourism, dis might be a chance fuh de minister to sen’ out posters overseas, pushin’ we Bajan flyin’ fish an’ cucoo as de cause fuh all dis long life an’ energy. Jes’ a t’ought.
One “golden girl” accounk fuh seven gol’ an’ two silver medals all by sheself, an’ all de ethuhs was right dey doin’ duh part. I hope all dem youngsters see dat lady picture in de paper, lookin’ real fit an’ a lot mo’ energetic dan some o’ dem lazin’ ’bout ’pon de block.
As yuh know, whey mos’ youff concern, anyone pas’ de age o’ 50 over de hill an’ should be headin’ fuh a nursin’ home. Ef yuh “presumptious” enough to reach 60 or 70, wuh, dah is de time fuh dem to pick out yuh coffin. Well, anyt’ing mo’ ole dan dat, yuh gotta be jokin’, an’ ef yuh en dead yet, yuh got evah right to be. You tekkin’ up de air dem need an’ duh don’ hesitate to leh yuh know it.
But look sharp, nuff o’ dem en gine be lucky to even reach 40, much less 60, de reckless way duh choosin’ to live. My nighber got a daughter dat cyhan hide de fack she lookin’ forward to de day she muddah pass ’way; she a’ready plannin’ wuh she gine do wid de woman property. De ole lady got some warm dollars, y’know.
T’ankfully doh, all young people en like dah girl an’ we should be grateful when we fin’ de nice ones.
Gettin’ on in age don’ mean yuh life comin’ to a halt. Nuff activities dey fuh seniors to get up an’ try out. Exercise is one. I see Philomena now eatin’ mo’ lettuce leaves dan de macaroni pie she was always stuffin’ she face wid, an’ annoyin’ muh evah evenin’ to j’in she ’pon de Garrison. She really out to prove age is jes’ a number.
“Hol’ on. I puttin’ on muh sneakers!”
Tek care o’ yuhself,
Yuh frien’, Babsie.
