A couple of weeks ago, I officially hit “minimum retirement age”. At the age of 62, I’m now officially old, in my mind, and also in my body. I have the aches and pains that come with aging, so not long ago, I decided to focus on acquiring some things that might make my day to day routine a little less painful. Now, I’d like to list 5 of those things that I’m grateful for, because they really do help me carry on.

A Porch Swing

I’ve been wanting a porch swing all my life. The gentle back and forth, back and forth motion settles my nerves, eases my mind, and relaxes my body.

A Well-Insulated House

I didn’t buy this house specifically to help my aches and pains, of course, but because it is such a well-made home, I get the benefit of incredible insulation. I get cold easily, and when cold, I hurt. I’m not saying I never get cold here in the house, because I do, but the insulation protects me from most of it (and from the heat as well).

Old Lady Grabber Tools

We have these all over the house. The thing that causes me the most excruciating pain is bending down. These tools solve this problem at least a few times a day.

Old Lady Kneeling Stools

Just like bending, if I have to kneel or sit on the floor to get something the grabber can’t handle, this is the tool that saves me. You see, once I’m on the ground, it takes an act of congress for me to get back up. And we all know how quickly congress gets anything done. With this little kneeler thingy, I can just lean on the handles and I’m up in a jiffy.

And Finally – The Best Thing I Ever Bought For Myself – A Massage Chair

Ever since I can remember, when asked what’s the first thing I’d do if I was rich, I’d always say that I’d hire a live-in, 24/7 on-call masseuse. I love a massage, but I never get one because they are expensive, and a little uncomfortable to have some stranger messing around with me. For the past year, I’ve been rethinking this idea, and decided to buy a massage chair. So I bought this one for my combination Christmas / Birthday present. Keep in mind that I’d never sat in a massage chair in my life, so I really didn’t know if I would like it. But I decided to buy it anyway. So how’s that working out for me?

BEST GIFT EVER. If you want to get one for yourself, I think it’s well worth the money.

That’s the 5 things I’m grateful for today. I could have chosen lots of other things like family, job, etc., but I wanted to really narrow the list down to some things that – big or small – cheap or expensive – really affect my physical well-being in a positive way.

This post is part of the WordPress Bloganuary Challenge for 2022, where everyone participating is provided a writing prompt each day. Today’s prompt was to write about 5 things I’m grateful for.