Senior wants to go for the gold in his 'golden years'
Dear Amy: I am 74; my wife of 53 years is 71.
Our marriage is solid, and it is my strongest desire to support my wife in every way possible, especially giving her things that we may not have had resources for in our younger years.
I am blessed to be very healthy, and I am an avid exerciser, now getting into short-distance triathlons.
My wife was an exercise trainer, but now has injuries and aches and pains that prohibit her from joining me in my training. She is opposed to me partaking in triathlons, even though I know my physical limits and want to "complete" rather than "compete."
She fears that I will die or be severely injured, thereby "ruining" our golden years. I love the sport and want to partake. She remains angry and adamantly against it.
What is the best way to handle this?
-- Devoted
Dear Devoted: Your wife has physical ailments preventing her from fully partaking in your interests. Have you accused her of "ruining" your golden years? (No!)
Your wife is a former trainer, and she may be more in tune with the risks of injury or illness due to extreme exercise than she is with the risks of illness or injury due to simply being alive.
I'm going to guess that her concern might not be solely about physical injury, but also about the time it takes to train for these endurance races.
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