How Not to Grow Old: Keep Playing!

I’m spending some time with my 91-year-old Mom while she recuperates from an illness.  Besides having some quality time with her, I’m learning all sorts of things.  Mom has been a quilter ever since she retired.  She’s made over 500 quilt tops for her church and enjoys creating some very innovative designs.  She used to dye white fabric all sorts of fancy ways.  She used to say she was going into the basement to dye.  And thought that was pretty funny.  She even had a “Dyeing Party” with her friends.  She put wet  fabric on the laundry lines outside & they all had squirt bottles with dyes.  They had a lot of fun threatening to squirt each other.

The point is you are never too old to have fun.  And to have hobbies.  I know some people who retire at 65 and then sit around bored most of the time.  Don’t be that person.  Keep doing something that is fun and interesting to you.  We are so busy during most of our lives, but as you near retirement age (like 10 years before) start some interests that you can continue later.

Here are some cute quotes about quilting I found at Mom’s house.

Quilt until you wilt.
Old quilters never die, they just go to pieces.
Quilters come with strings attached.
Before Prozac, there was quilting.
To  quilt is human, to finish divine.
There is no wrong time for quilting.
Quilting with a friend will keep you in stitches.  (Actually true in Mom’s case; she brings jokes to share at the quilting get-togethers and has almost become a stand-up comedian.  She gets the jokes from the internet.  Yes, she has her own laptop & knows how to use it.)
Quilters make great great comforters.
Quilters know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em.
The best things in life are quilted.
A bed without a quilt is like a sky without stars.
My husband lets me buy all the fabric I can hide.
Quilters aren’t greedy; they’re just materialistic.
If there are not Quilting Bees in heaven, I ain’t going!
Always buy fabric, no matter how much you already have.
When I learned to quilt, I forgot how to cook!
Housework only comes before quilting in the dictionary.
If I stitch fast enough–does it count as aerobic exercise?
Woman cannot live by chocolate alone–SHE MUST QUILT.
What happens in the quilt shop stays in the quilt shop.
The one who dies with the most fabric wins.
At 103, I hope we’re at a quilting bee.

Some have criticized quilting as a waste of time.  A case could be made for that.  You can certainly make a functional quilt from large pieces of fabric stitched together in a utilitarian way.  But women have clung to quilting for generations as a way to socialize, express their creativity, and get out of the house for a while.  The network of quilting friends becomes a support system for any emergencies that come along to any of the quilters.

Mom used to quilt with groups at 3 different churches, including 2 that were not of her denomination.  I called her a one-woman ecumenical movement for her small town.  She would chat with the pastors and priests of all of the churches.  And tell her jokes.

Mom has had to cut back on her quilting lately due to illness and physical condition.  But she still makes 2 nine-patch blocks a day.  She’s proud that the seams still match up perfectly.  I’m proud that she has remained so active into her 90’s.

Mom has made so many kinds of quilt tops, including the “stack-and-wack” kaleidescopic blocks.  She used fabric origami for quilt blocks that were amazing.  She’s a very creative person and it has served her well into her golden years.

They say you don’t stop playing when you get old; you get old when you stop playing.  I don’t know if that’s true, but it couldn’t hurt to have a little fun.  Click here for ideas for some great hobbies.

If you have kids, playing with them is always a good idea.  Make some memories!  Click on any of the labels below this post for activities you can do with kids.