When did you last need help?

Pete | Whakatāne

After having a fall in the bath, Pete had his mortality come into full view. But it also gave him clarity on what’s important in his life.

“You gotta have lots of endorphins, lots of trips to the beach and good food and play. Play, play, play, a bit of music and so on. Just make the most of it, it’s going quick. I’m seventy so I don’t know how much more I’m guaranteed. Look after your kids and then they’ll look after you, I guess.

Earlier this year, I had a fall in the bath. You’re basically crippled, flat on the floor, but I managed to get a doctor to come to treat my back and get up and walking again. The time when you can’t walk is horrifying.

That’s the thing about getting older, you get used to keeping still because you’re just not sure where the next step will take you. When you’re young, you can walk like your steps are as big as a yard. When you’re old, you take little steps, just in case.

We’re pretty insignificant in the picture of it, but then we’ve got this connection to all the generations with our children, it’s going to keep on building up and up.

We’ve got daughters, and mokopuna, and nephews and nieces, and it’s one big family. We’re all one really, in a way.

Our brains are all linked, we’re all one, one mind.”

Our question for kaikōrero this month was “when did you last need help?” We learned about the diverse demands on the lives of New Zealanders and the incredible support networks they rely on.