Staying fit is nice, but in our mid 80’s our health can easily deteriorate for so many reasons.
Grandkid can leave a penumbra on the stairs...
Ruth is hanging on to hang on to the limelight for as long as she possibly can. Once she is out of the Supreme Court, she fears that no one will pay attention to her ever again. I am sure that she assumed that Hillary would win. So at this point her selfish tenacity has backfired on her. She most likely will be gone before the end of Donald Trump's first term. If she is still alive she will watch the composition of the court swing to the right in a way that none of us have seen before.