If you browse the internet on looking for some off-the-wall “stuff,” you often are successful. My most recent internet find was about grip — as in hand-grip.
I’ve lived all my long life among farm and ranch folks and they almost universally have a strong handshake. It’s like a born-in trait. And, to me, a strong hand-grip is far superior to a milk-toast weak handshake.
Well, the article I read on the internet is about a research study that found out that handgrip strength is correlated to overall health at the age of 70.
The study measured grip strength among various categories of 93,275 folks at the age of 50 and then followed their health down through the following years.
Grip strength at the starting point turned out to be remarkable telling. When researchers divided participants into three groups by grip strength, the differences became stark over the following decade-plus. Men in the strongest group could squeeze harder than 44 kilograms. The weakest masculine group managed 36.5 kilograms or less. For women, the ranges were 26 kilograms for the strongest, versus 20.5 kilograms or less for the weakest.
Compared to the weakest group, those in the strongest category had a 20% lower risk of developing initial health problems, a 12% lower risk of progressing to multiple issues, and a 23% lower risk of dying after developing multiple conditions. People with stronger grip strength were much more likely to avoid the chronic conditions that eventually limit independence and mobility.
So, take the results of this study any way you like. But, I like to believe that a firm handshake will increase your odds of living longer and healthier. In short, a firm handshake lets you get a better grip on life.
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The livelong residents of Riley in our old geezer gab group tell stories about eccentric folks whose lives have been entertaining in one way or another. One such guy drove a beat-up pickup truck that no one would consider stealing. However, just as a theft-preventative measure, every time he drove the truck to town, he parked it in front of a store with an awning over the sidewalk — and he tied the truck bumper to the awning post with a thick rope.
It worked, too. His truck never got stolen.
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They also tell the story of a farmer who wuz hauling some cattle in his stock trailer in the evening when he got stopped by the police on the highway for driving with one headlight not working.
The farmer explained to the policeman that the light worked when he left his farm.
The skeptical lawman said, “I doubt that story.”
That’s when the farmer gave the headlight a swift kick and, lo and behold, the light came back on strong as the other headlight.
That’s when the officer sighed and said, “Well, that gives some truth to your story. So, get out of here before I change my mind!”
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In a similar story, one evening a horseman wuz trailering his horse to a distant team roping. His battered pickup wuz pulling an equally battered trailer.
The guy wuz motoring along nicely when he saw blinking lights behind him and he pulled over to the side of the road.
When the deputy came up to his window, the horseman asked, “What’s the problem, sir?”
The deputy replied, “Well, all your lights are working perfectly, and it looked suspicious to me. I apologize for the inconvenience.”
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Last week, I had a story in the column about crazy happenings at farm auctions. Here’s another farm auction story that’s the truth.
A husband and wife attended a farm auction intent upon buying an antique piece of furniture. As they had to wait for a long time before the auction got to their item, they got separated in the crowd.
When the auctioneer began his chant to sell the antique, the bidding wuz brisk. The price kept going up and up.
It wuz at that point that the auctioneer began to grin widely and some of the locals in the crowd began to chuckle.
That’s when it dawned on the hubby and wife that they’d been bidding against each other. Too late! They got their antique bought, but at quite an elevated price.
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This ain’t a true story. A guy driving through a small rural town sees a sign that says, “Batteries — Free of Charge” stacked up in front of a service station. So he stops and takes one. But, when he gets home, he discovers that the battery is stone cold dead.
So, he calls the service station and complained. The station owner replied, “Whatcha complaining about? The battery you took has no charge.”
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As a gardener, I’m a failure at raising melons of any kind. Well, this year, I got a few good cantaloupes to eat — just by accident. Months ago, we bought a cantaloupe at the store. After we ate it, I dumped the seeds and rinds on my compost pile. Well, a bunch of the seeds sprouted and grew, and grew, and bloomed, and grew. The result wuz we got to harvest quite a few nice melons — strictly by accident.
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Words of wisdom for the week: “You’re living well if you’re as good a person as your dog thinks you are!” Have a good ‘un.
