I had the good fortune of attending the Arizona Senior Olympics today in Suprise, AZ. My wife was volunteering as a judge for the aerobic fitness competition. I think this was her 3rd year participating but my first time attending. What a great experience!
I see less activity out of a group of geeks, network admins and software developers nearly every day. These competitors were healthy, happy and much more capable than I. Not that I am a slouch (I do manage to lift weights), but aerobically, they would run circles around me in less than five minutes. I have the stamina to get to the mailbox and back but they would probably go to the post office and back instead.
So what did I learn? I'm as good as dead the day I retire, unless I get out and get active today. I may have community with my fellow geeks via the message boards, forums and email, but I'm not sure it will allow me to live longer (and thus, enjoy the community). Patience is not necessarily a personal trait, but a privilege.