Spry or Not Spry? That is the Question

Spry:

(especially of an old person) active; lively.

"he continued to look spry and active well into his eighties"

synonyms:

sprightly, lively, agile, nimble, energetic, active, full of energy, full of vim and vigor, vigorous, spirited, animated, vivacious, frisky, peppy "isn't Aunt Helen spry for her age?"

I was talking to a few fellow board members before the meeting when someone asked how Sally was getting on after back surgery. I told them she was completely recovered and weeding like mad. Then I said “but I am probably next”. One of the members said something like, “You? You are so spry.”

That word stopped me. Spry? Isn’t that a pejorative for “Old Fart”? So I looked it up, and sure enough, as the definition above indicates, old age is almost always associated with “spry”. But wait, the synonyms are really cool: agile, energetic, frisky etc. All complimentary adjectives. What is the problem Woody?

It’s this: spry is almost always followed by some variation of “for his (or her) age”. A qualifier. Sort of like “he is in good shape for the shape he is in.” Then I thought “get over it Woody. At your age you are lucky to be able to work, hike, cook, sleep, clean, love, drink wine and think.”

It comes down to this: acknowledging getting older isn’t always easy. You see the “upside down muscle” under your arms, or the man titties in the mirror and think “Who the Hell is That?” The good news is that you are standing in front of the mirror after a nice shower getting ready to go out for the evening. And really, who the hell cares about your minor aging deficits anyway? Nobody. Just the moron who lives in your head.

Thanks for reminding me that I am spry, K. Makes me want to go out and hike and cook and love and drink wine. Not necessarily in that order. (SMILE)

Image: https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/_L1aS0knEnvU/TXWnYoepnPI/AAAAAAAABXU/xEJAP8PSSgQ/s640/IMG_7192.jpg