Geriatric Guts

Found this piece of news in UK very interesting. 7 men were arrested in London for raiding safe-deposit boxes and running away with valuables worth 60m pounds. They accessed the vault by climbing down a lift shaft and boring a hole in the concrete wall. Nothing unusual except that the gang comprised of mainly senior citizens ranging from 48 to 76 years of age, with 5 above 58 yrs.
What the police once conjured as a sophisticated job turned out to be carried out by a group of elderly amateurs. British press has nicknamed them 'Dad's Army'.

One CCTV footage showed 2 of the old guys struggling to cart away their loot in a bin, often resting against it to catch their breadth. At the preliminary court hearing, the 74 year old suspect complained he could not hear the clerk's questions because he was hard of hearing. Another 59 year old suspect walked with a pronounced limp. Police in some countries like UK and South Korea have noticed an increase in 'geriatric crime', attributing it to poverty and loneliness. In the case of the famous 'Grandpa gang' (3 members in their 60s and 70s) who staged several bank robberies in Germany, one member had told how they had to stop constantly to wait for their senior member to pee and how he almost blotched one job when he slipped on the ice during the getaway.

Now I find these people quite inspiring, not that I am thinking of committing a crime for the thrill of it. Rather I admire their can-do spirit and geriatric guts, never letting their age and physique limit their plans. Very often I will deliberate whether to go for a certain hike whilst touring a foreign country, fearing I will be stuck somewhere when my body can't take it. At other times when visiting a place that is snowing, the fear of slipping will make me forgo venturing a bit further to catch a better view.What a far cry from the man with a limp in the London heist and the senior grandpa gang who never fear their unfitness will impede their getaway. Those of us who think of skipping a place of interest for fear of toilet inconvenience must remember the grandpa gang member who robbed a bank despite constant visits to the toilet.

Occasionally we would regret not having done this or that when we were younger. Perhaps we should review these regrets with fresh eyes.

As the saying goes "There is no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward" ~John Mortimer