Earlier this year, I mooted the possibility of going back to playing cricket. The family is of an age where they are much more self-supporting and I’m embarrassing, and the wife is more than happy for me to be out from under her feet.
I reckon I last played about 13 years ago and remember being completely frustrated that I couldn’t just turn up and perform like I’d always done. From the age of 17, summers were two games of cricket a weekend and then rugby in the winter. September saw both – rugby on Saturday followed by cricket on Sunday. See me now and you’d think “really”?
Fantastic friendships forged, that have endured and many wonderful stories always, always retold, but with the full understanding of “what goes on tour....”.
Having driven past grounds on lovely summers days, seeing the standard I was always filled with the thought that I could still do it – so I want to try.
But.
I took advantage of the MOT’s offered by the NHS, standard stuff and was quickly told I’d need to be fitter, and lighter, and carrying less of the bad cholesterol – oh, and your blood pressure Mr Anderson – too high.
To be honest, to get to 58 and not yet rely on medication has been a miracle. So now it’s a tablet a day, and lot of instructions on a healthier lifestyle. Basically, take anything you like and stop eating and drinking it.
And exercise.
With heart issues on my father’s side of the family and cancer on my mum’s, I’m guessing the odds are stack against me a little. Yes, I like a drink, not nearly as much as I used to, but have never smoked. Seeing my grandfather spend the last few months of his life suffering the effects of lung cancer – he smoked 80 a day- had a massive effect of a 13-year-old me. We think we will go on forever. We won’t. We work hard to provide for our families and their futures but in most cases never bother to think about protecting that. A recent headline stated 51% of people don’t have wills – and that’s the half of it.
I took my father to see his solicitor a couple of years before he died. All was taken care of including powers of attorney, much more applicable giving his age and failing health. On the question of a DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) he said, “I’ll leave that to my sons at the time”. The outcome of that? His carer desperately trying to contact me and my brother whilst the paramedics worked on him on his lounge floor. Not, I suspect, what he envisaged. The carer made the right call, but she shouldn’t have put in that position.
And on a more practical level, who knows the access code to your mobile? Or your laptop? There are many practical, easy steps you can take to not only protect your family but make a very difficult time easier with proper planning.
And I’m more than happy to share what I’ve done and will put you in touch with those that can help.
Me? I’m off to the gym.
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