Serving Our Seniors Magazine: Oct-Dec 2022

guys my age get to spend a year with their kid on a great adventure. Don’t get me wrong… We had our share of disagreements, but we were depending on one another a lot, and gained tremendous appreciation for each other’s talents. Also, Travis is a lot of fun.” Although George had been a certified scuba diver, he hadn’t dived in 20 years. Travis challenged his dad to earn his advanced scuba diving certification. According to Travis, “This type of certification is what lets you experience the most amazing dives because it requires advanced training for deep dives. I’m pretty lucky to have a Dad who is open to trying and having new experiences. It’s definitely not the norm.” In Niue, George earned his advanced diving certification. The instructor told Travis, “I keep telling my dad about your dad and how he keeps doing all of these things. So, I tell my dad, ‘If he can do it, you can do it too.’ ” Travis said, “I thought it was cool that the dive instructor was using my dad as a source of inspiration for getting her dad into the water.” To celebrate George’s advanced certification, both father and son went on to do a lot of scuba diving. Throughout their trip, they went on night dives, swam 40+ meters deep, swam with a school of hammerhead sharks and poisonous sea snakes, and explored multiple shipwrecks. All were amazing to experience together. In February 2020, (pre-covid) Jamie flew into Grenade to take Travis’s place, as he had to return to work. I asked Jamie her philosophy on aging. She said, “To age well you have to stay active, eat healthfully and appreciate every day because life has no guarantees.” With Covid shutting down air travel throughout the world, Jamie’s plan to fly home from St. Thomas was thwarted. Jamie would not let George sail back alone, although he was prepared to do so. George taught Jamie what she needed to know so the two could sail the 1200 mile passage to Newport RI, safely. Sailing from Bermuda to Newport, one must cross the Gulf Stream, which can be treacherous with storms and huge waves. Jamie said, “I had to operate the boat, alone, at night, in what I considered terrifying conditions. For George, it was just another day. For me, it was scary. When we got to Newport, I was just so happy to be on land I cried.” I asked her what she learned about her husband that didn’t know before they had this excursion. She explained that she didn’t learn anything that she didn’t already know. “George is the Energizer Bunny. He is ready to go from morning until night. He defies all of the stereotypes of aging. If we learned anything, we were both surprised at how well we got along while living on 44 foot of space.” To read more about each escapade in the Steinemann’s great adventure, go George’s blog, www.SailingNoreaster.com If our readers know of other inspiring stories, taking place in later life, please call me at 419-624-1856. By Sue Daugherty 17