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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
While the Walpole Council on Aging offers enjoyable activities for the community’s seniors, it also hosts dozens of educational programs, including hearing tests, nutritional advice, and health insurance information. But everyone needs to step away from all of those stress-inducing things sometimes and find an escape. For some people, that might be starting a crafting project or watching a movie, while others may opt for reading a book or taking a drive around town while listening to music.
For a group of ladies at the Walpole COA, they find a couple of hours playing bridge works as an escape for them.
A dedicated group of bridge players play for fun at the Walpole Council on Aging. Photos by Laura Drinan
While bridge can a bit tricky for new players to learn, the Council on Aging’s group of players has been playing the game for years. “We’re just the happy-go-lucky Thursday group,” said one bridge player, insisting that the group did not take the game too seriously and mostly played for enjoyment. As they shuffled the decks of cards, the ladies chatted about their lives, the construction around Walpole, and about some of the local businesses. One player even brought fresh tomatoes from her garden for the other ladies to try as they socialized and played cards.
Oftentimes the group will find itself with five players, and one graciously sits out and reads the newspaper or watches until the game is over and they have a chance to play. In previous years, the COA had more bridge players, but it has dwindled down to only a small group of dedicated individuals.
As the ladies continued chatting about their families and current events, they skillfully and methodically tossed their cards onto the table, and whoever won the trick quickly collected the cards.
It is not only the game that attracts the ladies to the Council on Aging for bridge, but also the atmosphere they create: an amusing, carefree, and enjoyable environment.
“If I were at home right now, I wouldn’t be laughing so much,” said one bridge player, who plays partly to spend time with the ladies who accompany her. “We don’t take it too, too seriously. We socialize and play cards.”
