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She exhausts me

(48 Posts)
Anniebach Mon 15-May-17 21:22:00

I have a neighbour, a sweet person. Her energy is amazing.

She is a volenteer at our volenteer bureau, visits several elderly people regularly. Runs the poetry group, attends all labour party meetings. Last week she spent five days in Birmingham attending a Quaker conference . She helps run the credit union. Arranges a monthly lecture on what ever subject she thinks is topical, last one was on Brexit. She travels to Wiltshire to house sit every summer . Yesterday she was at the meeting house for prayers then stayed on for the afternoon to do some work in the office.

Today she is on her way to Epsom, seven hours journey, bus and three trains . a friend has recently been widowed and is lonely.
!
Will be back Saturday and hopes the weather will be kind because she wants to cut the hedges front and back gardens on Monday. Tuesday she is catching three buses to get to deep, darkest Mid Wales to visit someone who has been moved from our local cottage hospital to a care home.

She is eighty six years old !

Jalima1108 Tue 16-May-17 10:47:20

My guess is that she may not have a computer - and is certainly not on Gransnet!

anniebach I was envious of your energy when you said you were tramping round Gower yesterday in the rain campaigning.

My energy levels are nowhere near that of your neighbour.
Unless my energy is just directed elsewhere (garden, house, family etc).

Kim19 Tue 16-May-17 10:48:42

I think I'm a little like the lady you mention but certainly not so amazing and I'm not quite 86 yet. I guess being organised is perhaps 'in the genes'. She is certainly a terrific ambassador for the Quaker movement without even trying to promote it. Long my she have the ability to enjoy her lifestyle. Truly inspiring bit of reading. Thank you Anniebach.

Anniebach Tue 16-May-17 11:28:20

Kim, she doesn't speak of the Quakers when she does her community work, she didn't tell me , I met her shortly after I moved her, a few months ago , I attended a Quaker meeting and there she was , when I moved she knocked my door and welcomed me to the cul de sac, no mention of what she does. I learned of her activities from people in the town. She telephoned me at the weekend and said she was away for the week,i asked her where she was going and I asked her how the hell she was getting to Epsom, if I hadn't asked she wouldn't have said. This I have such respect for, she doesn't speak of what she does ,others do. I didn't know she organised the poetry group untill I turned up there, she lives just three doors away from me. I see her trot along the path every day, no idea where she is
off to. I was told there was a move to have her nominated for the honours list, she stopped that.

Caro1954 Tue 16-May-17 11:33:17

Lilyflower - no-one is forced to attend the lectures/discussion groups this lady organises. They seem to be pretty well-balanced and well-organised - long may they (and she) continue!

Tessa101 Tue 16-May-17 11:37:33

All those events and helpful visits keep her young and active, and keep the brain sharp they keep her going. My Dear mum was Cleaning for elderly ladies who couldn't do it themselves until she was 82. Bless her

sarahellenwhitney Tue 16-May-17 12:11:19

Anniebach
This lady is well and truly a miracle.
Can we know of and all have some of what she is having?

Lupin Tue 16-May-17 12:36:39

What a very inspiring lady she is. Her focus is well and truly outside herself and beamed on others. What a fabulous way to live your life. I'm so glad it has been a long life because people like her are needed. Thank you for telling us about her, Anniebach.

Anniebach Tue 16-May-17 13:09:33

Thank you. What I find remarkable is she is just carries on daily, doesn't speak about what she does , I wonder what else she does that I haven't heard of. I know she isn't very keen on tv , no surprise when I see the number of library books she has monthly from the mobile library ?

HootyMcOwlface Tue 16-May-17 13:17:53

This is the exact type of person who should be in the honours list! Not some flaming footballer or fashion designer filling their boots.

Anniebach Tue 16-May-17 13:27:26

Hooty, this was tried, she heard about it and put a stop to it, apparently she believes she was blessed with good health so needs nothing more.

VIOLETTE Tue 16-May-17 14:50:31

Wow! fantastic ! I wish I could have some of her energy ! Painted the conservatory this weekend , did the ironing, mowed the lawns, took all the furniture outside from the conservatory and cleaned it ....then put everything back ,,,,,wore me out for two days ! Just going out there (If I can get off here !) to hand the final wall plates back up !)

Have to replace the hinge on the kitchen cupboard door (tried but keep cutting my finger on it !) then paint all the doors inside the house ,,,but I am currently THINKING about it ...maybe I will go and make tea and sit in the garden to think .........grin

hapgran Tue 16-May-17 15:15:36

She sounds a bit like my sister in law, who never married and has no children. I think all the running around she does for others is similar to the miles I cover and energy I expend on my children and grandchildren.

Anniebach Tue 16-May-17 15:19:44

She has a son, grandchildren and g grand children , they do not live in the town , I have no idea when her son moved away

hapgran Tue 16-May-17 15:25:25

Even more amazing, then! I do feel inspired when I hear of those with such a zest for life in their seventies and eighties. I also know that before too long all my grandchildren will be at school and leading their own lives. It is therefore important to hold on to interests and friendships, but that's a topic for another post!

JackyB Tue 16-May-17 18:49:15

I think she is twins.

Anniebach Tue 16-May-17 19:00:44

Jacky grin

Indinana Tue 16-May-17 22:02:03

annie I love how you described her at 22:30 yesterday evening, ending "There is a calmness about her". I could actually feel that peace from your description. She sounds so wonderful, and reminds me a little of a lovely lady, Rose, a customer of my DH many years ago who was still very active at 93, helping neighbours, doing church flowers, and so on. She had been a seamstress all her life and still, in her 90's, would do alterations for people on her sewing maxhine. She was surrounded by an almost tangible aura of peace and goodness. The church was more packed than it had ever been at her funeral. She was greatly loved and greatly missed.

Diddy1 Tue 16-May-17 22:31:02

What a wonderful lady, she enjoys everything she does, giving pleasure to others, I hope she carries on for many years good for her x

Anniebach Tue 16-May-17 22:34:15

Indiana, she realy has a calmness, nothing seems to drain her, cause her stress, when I asked her how she was going to Epsom, one would think she was just catching a bus to town. Some just have this calmness don't they ? As I have learned of what she does in a week - from others , it is so obvious how much she means to many people.

Indinana Tue 16-May-17 22:52:00

I think these rare people draw their stength from their good living and kindness - almost like a self-perpetuating energy. They seem to have no negativity about them. Surely something to aspire to.

Anniebach Tue 16-May-17 23:07:47

They are certaintly very special people Indiana

cassandra264 Thu 18-May-17 19:37:09

I had a great aunt like this - she was wonderful, everyone loved her and if she didn't love everyone you would never have known it! However, she was a single, independent person all her life - though she did full time paid work and helped out an extensive extended family until her mid eighties.I do wonder whether that made a difference - as well as having generally good health, enough money to pay the bills and a bit over - and a kind and positive attitude to start off with?

It is more difficult maintaining the energy levels you may be lucky enough to have enjoyed in your youth and middle age, if you have had to cope with more than your fair share of misfortune over the years one way or another. I think this is especially true if you have had to become a 24 hour carer for
someone and become isolated as a result.The person you mention is making a huge, beneficial difference to many people - good for her - but, while I admire her, here's a bunch of flowers flowers too, to all those hidden away behind their front doors who are making life a bit better for just one, often at immense cost to themselves.