encore performances #10...
There are many activities POS (People over 60) seek once they begin their post-working career lives, but, as you will see, Don Lieber is unique.
Referencing interviews with about 80 people over the past year and a half found, swimming, hiking, walking, pickleball, handball, bike riding, tennis and running topping the list of activities those 80 retirees do to keep fit.
But, there are an untold number of ways to achieve a healthy lifestyle besides participating in the most popular ones.
Here are a few examples of out of the box ways some people revealed they keep fit. These five illustrations are taken from a list of a few who did not want to be acknowledged.
A 70 year old former doctor said mountain climbing was his number one way to stay active, although he no longer climbs two major sites a year.
However, I still maintain the training such a demanding activity requires, he said.
Another gentleman, this one in his mid 60s, revealed he went to work at Lowe's three days a week and found the exertion needed to do the job was enough to keep him fit. He felt he no longer needed an exercise regimen.
Every work day, I climb ladders, heave boxes, and constantly lift heavy objects and carry them from one part of the store to another, he stated.
A woman who appeared to be in her early 60s said she feels she gets her cardio by lifting weights. She also stands on one leg then the other for several minutes each day.
I think balance becomes an issue the older we get, I saw it in my mother as she aged, she claimed.
Two men, one who said he is 75, and, the other who is 73, said playing blackjack and shooting craps while in Vegas keeps them fit.
I didn't challenge them.
Then, there is Don Lieber. Mr. Lieber is the only 88 year old dancer I've ever met.
HUH? What's up with that?
As the two of us discussed various life points, this wanna be nonagenarian's wonderful spirit was on full display.
I started dancing when I was 15 years old, he revealed. The first place I danced was at a Catholic teen club and I've been dancing ever since.
How long have you been retired?
Haven't really stepped down yet, he admitted. My sons are 64 and 65 and they want to retire, and they don't want the business. Guess I'm going to have to sell it.
What kind of business do you own?
Heating and Air and Sheet Metal Company, Don said. I started it in in 1953 and I've been at it ever since.
Are you married?
Yes, I was, he said. My first wife died 18 years ago and my second one passed away nine years ago.
Lets get back to the dance floor. How often do you dance?
I dance two nights a week and I bowl one night every week, year round, he smiled.
Are you a smooth dancer?
There are some who think so, he said with a grin. Some people think I do okay.
What type of dancing do you do?
Popular, slow, rag, shag, waltzes, he ticked off. We do it all.
Do you go to clubs to dance or someplace else?
The Moose Lodge mainly and we have a couple places we travel occasionally, he answered.
There haven't been a lot of people tell me they bowl. Are you good?
Not really, he laughed. I bowl about 160 or so for an average.
How about down the road. Anything particular on your bucket list?
Naw, can't say so, he admitted. Been around a long time and done just about all of it.
According to calculatorpack.com... A person can burn anywhere from 200 to 600 calories in one hour of dancing, depending on the intensity and type of dance. Don said he and his partners dance up to two hours a night.
Not everyone I have encountered worries about proper exercise. Kenny Blair didn't reveal his age, but he's seen a lot of life and said he had had enough activity in his career.
I was a recruiting commander for the U.S. Army for 20 years, he said. I recruited in Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee.
How did that happen. Did you enlist?
Yes, he told me. I was in Vietnam in '68 right after the TET Offensive. Four years later, I went to Fort Riley, Kansas and decided I was getting out of the army.
How did that work out?
It didn't, he admitted. I went to work in a factory for about four months and quit. Went back into the army in '73 and stayed 25 more years.
That's impressive. Was there someone special in your life during that period?
Oh, sure, we've been married 49 years, he confided. Ruty Ann is my wife's name.
Did you have an Encore Performance when you left the army, or was that it for any type of work?
After a little while, I got bored, he confessed. So, I went to work for the Marion County Kentucky Emergency Team for eight more years.
That sounds like a FEMA type organization.
Exactly, he agreed. Every county in Kentucky has a group like it. I dealt with FEMA a lot.
Did you ever have anything extreme happen while you were with that agency?
I think the worst was a tremendous ice storm and at the same time, a bad flood, Kenny recalled. We had to deal with that for about three months. I was in charge of getting people assistance and took care of their housing and shelter needs. But, it wasn't nearly as bad as the flooding in eastern Kentucky last month.
How have you spent your time since full retirement?
Well, I took care of my dad until 2019, he said. He was 97 and a survivor of Normandy. Now, Ruty Ann and I take Amtrak trains everywhere. If they've got a rail someplace, we'll go see it.
What about on a daily basis. Anything special for entertainment?
Not really, except a bunch of us sit around McDonald's every morning, he laughed. We tell old jokes, talk about our military careers and just have a lot of laughs.
Do you do any physical activity?
Nope, got plenty of that all my life, he blurted.
How about a bucket list? Got something you want to do?
You know, I've thought a lot about that kind of thing and I don't think there's anything I haven't done that I wanted to do. It's been a great life, he concluded.
Coming up: More oddities and observations; meet some of the people who do the job$ someone has to do; meet more POS; Plus, an update on two people we wrote about over the past year and a half, Butch Polson and Leesa Froelich.
And, finally. When Don said he and his friends meet at a McDonald's every morning, it brought to mind an upcoming blog about the McDonald's morning coffee groups. To do the post will require getting up early and finding a group of retired men willing to let me join them for some jokes, hearsay, and other gossip.
HUH? What's up with that?
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