Precerpt from Grandma Ninja's Training Diary: The Piano Bench Incident

 

There’s a certain kind of man who arrives already convinced he knows everything about me. He takes one look — 4'11", "little old lady" — and his brain immediately files me under fragile. I can practically hear the click.

So, when the piano movers came a while back, one of them carried the bench filled to the brim with sheet music and books out of the truck like it was a sacred artifact. He set it down with a grunt, wiped his hands, and gave me the kind of warning men reserve for toddlers and porcelain dolls.

“Don’t try to lift that,” he said. “It’s really heavy.”

He meant well. He truly did. But he also had no idea who he was talking to.

Because the moment they disappeared inside with the piano — up 9 stairs, across the landing, up the next set of 8 stairs — the bench started whispering to me. Not loudly. Just a little psst from the corner. A dare. A challenge. A reminder of who I actually am.

So, of course, I picked it up. And, of course, it wasn’t impossibly heavy. And, of course, I carried it — up the 9 stairs, across the landing, up the other 8 stairs, through the entryway, down the hall to the room where the piano was to go.

The movers were still wrestling the piano like it was a rhinoceros on roller skates, and there was no room to put down the bench. So, stood in the doorway, holding the “really heavy” bench like a lunch tray, and while they were mid‑heave, asked “Where do you want this?”

The look on their faces was the kind of shock normally reserved for ghost sightings and tax audits. Oh, the joy to be found in little things!

Grandma’s Ninja Training Diary is the inspiring true story of a septuagenarian grandmother who dared to dream big—by training for American Ninja Warrior. Teaming up with her coach and trainer, she embarks on a three-year journey to build strength, resilience, flexibility, balance, and endurance—starting from scratch.

While COVID and two disabled adult children moving home permanently put a kibosh on those American Ninja Warrior plans, she continued to train -- a little more modestly but regularly -- and maintain the ninja strength and flexibility she had developed prior to these changes in life circumstances.

Told in a dynamic mix of diary entries, coaching insights, and behind-the-scenes reflections, this book chronicles the ups and downs of late-in-life athletic training. From gym workouts to rock climbing, yoga to injury recovery, sleep to mindset—every aspect of the transformation is explored with honesty and humor.

Grandma shares what she’s learning; her coach explains why she’s right—or wrong. Together, they offer a realistic, encouraging look at 

what it takes to pursue an extraordinary goal at any age.

Part training manual, part motivational memoir, Grandma’s Ninja Training Diary is packed with practical tips for readers over 50 who want to improve their fitness, health, and confidence. You’ll also get insights into strategies for balancing real life with ambitious goals and hard-won wisdom about success, failure, and the joy of simply showing up.

To read more precerpts from Grandma's Ninja Training Diary, click HERE.

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