Dear Nesta,
I had a real good time at de National Senior Games couple weeken’s ago! We seniors still got a lot o’ life lef’ in we, lemuh tell yuh!
As yuh may remember, it was Hammie Lashley dat had de bright idea o’ startin’ dese Games, to show older folks could get outta de rockin’ chair an’ start “rockin’” ‘pon de fiel’, long after duh pas’ de age o’ 50! Get outta de corner yuh hidin’ ‘way in, an’ start movin’! I recently hear a Amurican doctor say ‘pon de TV dat “60” is de new “30”! Now, I t’ink dah gine too far, but y’know how it is wid Yanks when it come to age!
Y’know some o’ de youff – t’ankfully not all – believe when yuh reach a “certain age”, yuh should be castin’ yuh eyes “upward” – or fuh some, “downward” – an’ mekkin’ ready to board dah special flight! But fuh quite a few years now, dese Games been t’rowin’ a diff’rent light ‘pon de situation, an’ mekkin’ it obvious dat some seniors, aldoh duh might be approachin’ de airport, still got quite a while yet, befo’ duh get in de “Departure Lounge”!
I don’ see Hammie in de papers as reg’lar as in de pas’, but I still believe ‘e is one Parliamentarian always tryin’ to see wuh he could do to help de poor an’ de ole whenevuh he could. After all, de cameras wid lights flashin’, en always got to be present to show evuhbody yuh doin’ a good deed! Evuhting en need to be a “publicity” affair fuh mileage!
Dis event been goin’ on a few years, an’ as far as I could see, Bajans, young an’ ole, now look forward to it, so as de years go on, it been gettin’ mo’ an’ mo’ pop’lar, an’ people, ‘specially de competitors, now tekkin’ it real serious! Ef yuh could hop ‘cross to Utah in Amurica, later on dis year, yuh would see we competin’ at de International Senior Games over dey an’ winnin’ nuff medals too, ef yuh please! So yuh see, some older Bajans goin’ from strengf to strengf, an’ all t’anks to Mr Hamilton Lashley!
To show yuh how de int’res’ growin’, 89 mo’ afhletes turn up dis year, wid de 55-59 an’ 60-64 age groups attrackin’ de mos’ newcomers. One day, dese Games might attrack de 90-somet’ing age group! Only recently, we had t’ree people reachin’ 100 years, all durin’ de same week, so, who is to tell? Anyt’ing could happen! People tekkin’ mo’ care o’ duh healf dese days, an’ tryin’ duh bes’ to follow de aut’orities’ advice to grow an’ eat mo’ healfy foods. It en easy, ‘cause prices far from cheap, but we tryin’! But I believe macaroni pie an’ fried foods still toppin’ de lis’ as favourites! I been eatin’ summuch lettuce lately, dat I won’ be surprise ef I don’ see two long ears startin’ to tek de place o’ de ones I now got! Rabbits, watch out!
Philomena an’ muhself been wonderin’ ef we should start exercisin’ an’ practisin’ fuh de Senior Games nex’ year, ‘specially sence I hear Hammie t’rowin out de idea fuh a Senior Games competition fuh de region! Ef it does come to pass, dah would be one way to help bring we Caribbean people closer! Sports might mo’ achieve wuh de CSME still en able to do!
I got muh eyes ‘pon one or two o’ de events! Yuh c’n call muh a success at sports an’ games in de long ago pas’, but times change an’ so does man – an’ woman!
I gine leh yuh know wuh happenin’!
Tek care o’ yuhself
Yuh frien’ Babsie
