Work is key to life longevity

As I was driving through town last night on my way to bring my wife dinner at school, I couldn't help but notice an old woman cruising down the sidewalk in a power seated lawnmower, with the blades still running as she cruised across the road and up onto the sidewalk again, I couldn't help but think to myself that this was quite a funny site, I wondered just what she was doing. "Does she realize that she is mowing the sidewalk, and where was she going?"
I thought to myself. I had to find out! I pulled over to the side of the road to watch her and as I sat there, I tried to discreetly take a picture with my cell phone while she went past me. Alas, she stopped just in front of my car and bent down to pick some weeds out of the crack in the sidewalk.. As I sat there, holding my cell phone sideways and leaning over towards the passenger side of my car taking photos, I realized all at once that I'd been busted, (Notice Face in Picture) I had all of my car windows rolled down due to a broken A/C and she caught me snapping pictures.. I tried to get myself out of it by initiating a small but insightful conversation, I thought about asking if she knew where "Some" street was and explaining that my "Phones GPS" wasn't working correctly, however, that is not how our conversation went, I actually learned something from this woman.. Our conversation went as follows.

Me: "Hi, Where are you headed?"

Her: "I'm off to dump my grass."

Me: "Would you like me to help you?"

Her: "That's a nice offer, but I can handle it."

Me: "Those buckets get quite heavy when they're filled with wet grass, Are you sure I can't help you unload them?"

Her: "No, Thank you, but I really enjoy getting out and mowing my lawn once a week, You know, If you stay busy with work when you're my age, You'll be living well too"

Me: "How old are you if you don't mind me asking?"

Her: "I am 86 years young!"

Me: "That's great! I'll have to follow your advice! Where are you going to dump your grass?"

Her: "I dump it here in this empty field, I don't have room for it anywhere around my house."

Me: "Where is your house?"

Her: "Just down the road a bit."

This is a picture of her grass dumping site.

After a few more words, I concluded our conversation, and allowed her to hop back onto her lawn mower and head to her grass dumping site, not far from where we were conversing. On my way home, I decided to take a different route to see if I could find out exactly where she lived. I wasn't sure what I'd be looking for, Perhaps her red riding mower, and some fresh cut grass.. As I turned onto the street several blocks earlier than I had on my way in, I noticed she was still outside, squeezing out the last bit of sunlight while weeding her flower garden just outside, 3 blocks away from the site where she went to dump her grass...
Driving home, I had a few laughs, and thought back on what she said, "She's probably right, If all of us spent a little more time working in our yards, and playing outside, We probably would live a little longer." It seems now days that many of us spend too much time sitting in front of the tube watching TV and being couch potatoes... I hope that we can learn from this lady's example to squeeze out every bit of joy we can from life.