When You Can’t—You Still Can

Let me tell you something most folks forget: just because the body slows down doesn’t mean the imagination has to clock out with it.

Sure, maybe your knees won’t let you climb stairs anymore. Maybe you need three different tools just to reach a dropped sock. Maybe the doc told you to take it easy, and now your living room feels more like a waiting room.

But here’s the thing—I’ve traveled more this year than I did in the entire Nixon administration. And I haven’t left my chair.

I go to the movies with friends who live 1,500 miles away. I meditate on a sunny beach in Australia. I stroll through the ruins of Pompeii without worrying about tripping over a stone and breaking something I’ll never get back. How?

One word: VR.

Yeah, I know. You’re picturing some teenager wearing a weird toaster on their face and flailing like they’re fighting bees. But hear me out: this stuff isn’t just for kids anymore. It’s for us—the ones who’ve earned a little wonder.

I’ve got a Quest headset. Pop that thing on and suddenly my four walls disappear. I’m in a virtual movie theater sitting next to my friends—we talk, laugh, eat popcorn (okay, mine’s real, theirs isn’t), and watch the same movie like we used to. Not bad for a group of creaky old friends spread across four states and three time zones.

Other times, I just need to breathe. So I load up this meditation app that plops me right down on a Pacific Ocean beach—waves rolling in, birds calling, the whole works. I close my eyes and forget the leg cramps and heating pad and the bills on the table. It’s not denial—it’s relief.

You may be stuck in a room. You may not be driving anymore. But don’t believe for a second that means you’re done doing.

Yes, there’s a learning curve. Yes, your grandkid might have to show you which button does what (write it down!). But once you get the hang of it, the possibilities open wide. Want to take an art class in Paris? Walk through a national park? Play virtual mini-golf with your niece? You can.

Technology can feel like a wall between generations—but it can also be a bridge. You just have to be willing to step on it.

Don’t let the world shrink around you. Don’t let your body’s limits become your spirit’s limits. You still get to explore, laugh, learn, and connect. And you don’t need a plane ticket or perfect health to do it.

So if someone tries to tell you it’s time to “slow down,” smile and nod. Then strap on your headset and ride a rollercoaster in Tokyo. Because when you can’t the way you used to—you still can.

Explore More

Be Flexible—Or Be a Menace to Yourself

Be Flexible—Or Be a Menace to Yourself Let’s be honest. Have you become that rigid old pain in the rear you used to roll your eyes at during Thanksgiving? You

On the Matter of Asking for Help

On the Matter of Asking for Help (Without Feeling Like a Burden) Well now. You’ve stumbled into Krotchett’s corner—either out of desperation, curiosity, or poor mouse control. Whichever it was,

I’m Not Impatient—My Body’s Just on Fire

Medical Bureaucracy Is a Slow-Motion Horror Show You know that feeling when your body is waving red flags like it’s at a NASCAR race, but the system insists you take