The Great White Shark

My husband, Mike, has a retirement job.  He works as a gas station attendant at an area COSTCO.  Mike is 66.  We could afford for him to “retire retire.”  Like stop working.  But he chooses to get up, get dressed, and for 24 hours a week help 2000 COSTCO customers a day safely and efficiently fill their cars with gas.  He walks 15-18,000 steps a day.  Some days he must be up and out of the house at 4:30 in the morning.  Other days he works until 10:00 at night.  This part time gig is both exhausting and exhilarating.   On the one hand, who wants to be up at 4:30 in the morning?  Or stand on concrete in 12-degree temperatures? Or deal with the 1% (that’s 20 a day) of rude and disgruntled people?  On the other hand (the exhilarating part) he loves the “have to be somewhere” of each day, he has great coworkers and health benefits, and many of the 99% of great customers have become friends. In the five years he has worked there the ‘regulars’ go out of their way to stop by the gas station to share stories of vacations and grandkids, car parts, and phone updates, their good health and loss thereof.  All topics that are the “day-to-day” that makes us human and engaged.

He’s also observed the changes in many who have aged over the years. For example, George, who at an early 58 announces his retirement and great plans for exploring tackle boxes and fishing holes.  Three years later, George is bored, his health has declined, and those fishing trips were not as frequent as planned. Senior citizens who used to bounce out of the car to pump their own gas are now asking for help at the pump.  The retiree who intended to stay active but settled into the comfort of a La-Z-Boy.  The common theme:  we just stop moving.

Which brings me to the great white shark.

The great white shark is one of nature’s most fascinating creatures. Sleek, powerful, and always in motion, this predator of the deep has a secret to survival: it can’t breathe if it stops moving. Water must constantly flow over its gills to deliver oxygen; stillness, quite literally, means suffocation. For the great white, movement is life.

In many ways, we humans—especially as we grow older—aren’t so different. While we don’t need motion to breathe, our physical, mental, and emotional well-being depend on the same principle: keep moving. When we stop engaging, stretching, learning, or socializing, parts of us begin to shut down. Muscles weaken, balance fades, memory dulls, and enthusiasm wanes. The “flow” of life slows.

Movement doesn’t have to mean marathons or mountain climbs. It can be a morning walk around the block, gardening, dancing, volunteering, or even tackling a new hobby. The important thing is motion—both physical and mental. Every step, stretch, or new experience keeps your body oxygenated and your mind sharp, just as water passing over the shark’s gills keeps it alive.

For older adults, “movement” also means staying engaged with people and purpose. Attend the grandkids’ games, join a book club, take a class, or travel somewhere new. When you stay connected and curious, you keep energy and joy circulating through your life.

Yes, there are times when it’s tempting to slow down or “coast.” But remember the great white shark—majestic not because it never rests, but because it knows it must keep swimming forward to thrive. The same truth applies to us: movement is vitality. Motion is life. Keep swimming, keep moving, and you’ll keep living fully.  And COSTCO is always hiring.

House Call is a blog written by Kathy Chiero, Licensed Realtor and Team Leader of The Kathy Chiero Group of Keller Williams Greater Columbus.  Find Kathy and her team at www.OurOhioHome.com