Waiting in the hospital this morning surrounded by shuffling geriatrics, I was reminded of this sentiment from Stephen Fry’s ‘Liar’, which I recently re-read:-

As Adrian hurried past the Senate House he noticed two old men standing outside Bowes and Bowes. He put an extra spring in his step, a thing he often did when walking near the elderly. He imagined old people would look at his athletic bounce with a misty longing for their own youth. Not that he was trying to show off or rub salt into the wounds of the infirm, he really believed he was offering a service, an opportunity for nostalgia, like whistling the theme tune from Happidrome or spinning a Diabolo.

He skipped past them with carefree ease, missed his footing and fell to the ground with a thump. One of the old men helped him up.

“You all right, lad?”

“Yes fine … I must have slipped on the ice.”