Berkeley U. Grandma never too old for dreams

Some things change, some things don’t . . . A walk down memory lane
by Olivia Rossi, RN, MSN
Your Personal Trainer

I recently attended a conference on exercise and fitness at the University of Oregon. Strolling along the main walk, I was transported to another time and place . . .

Forty some years ago, it was Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley where I was a student. Now, as I make my way to class, past the buildings, past the bookstores, past the coffee shops, one even named Café Mediterranean, the students are wearing their hair shorter, there are many more bicycles around, and in a moment of nostalgia, strains of “Where have all the flowers gone?” emanates from a nearby Starbucks. There was no Starbucks then . . .

Some things change, some things don’t . . . I’m old enough to be their mother now, even their grandmother. They pay no attention to me, the senior citizen with her backpack slung over her shoulder on her way to class. As I pass a little coffee shop with a cozy corner table, I smile at the “theory of relativity.” A gray-haired woman, at least ten years my senior, her backpack on the table next to her coffee cup, diligently pores over her notes.

There will always be those younger and those older pursuing their dreams. It seems the learning never stops. Neither do the dreams . . . Some things change, some things don’t . . .

Yours in fitness,
Olivia C. Rossi, RN, MSN
Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist, ACSM
Certified Personal Trainer, ACSM

 Print This Post  Email This Post