Living to 120
...As the years go by and the mile markers of age count up, it has occurred to me that on the inside I still feel as though I am in my thirties. Is my inside self trying to tell me something about aging? Thirty-something isn't so bad, especially when the outside self is counting more like sixty-something. These days we are constantly hearing the recalculation of lifespan from the sixties to the eighties and nineties. So, why not 120? Sounds good to me! That would make yours truly middle-aged. The old joke of, "If I'd known I was going to live this long I would have taken better care of myself," isn't such a joke anymore. So, by the time we count up to our sixties is it too late to change the count for the better? I say not at all. But it is time to change our evil ways of living. How long have any of us been disrespecting our bodies? If 120 is the goal, then it is time to age in reverse. Start eating the right foods, add herbs and vitamins to your diet to help the body repair itself and to keep going. And don't forget to take an occasional cat nap. Bodies need a bit of down time to repair the day's wear and tear.
Even before the movie about Benjamin Button, I had made a decision to age in reverse. One of my greatest inspiration for aging well came from an aunt who still remembered how to be young. Living in a small town, she walked everywhere. My aunt was from a generation of ladies who never drove a car, and yet, she managed to travel all over the country and to get wherever she needed to go. I can remember that she and her sister were always ready to "go" when the offer was presented. Often times they left with their handbags and the clothes on their backs, but go they did at a moment's notice. Life lesson: Spontaneity is important. I can still remember when the same aunt, while in her eighties, was mugged one day while walking downtown in her small hometown. Still being spry enough, she ran after her thief and actually caught him, whereupon she grabbed him by the ear and marched him to the local police station to press charges. That was when I decided I wanted to approach life with the same gusto as I aged, and to never grow "old". I never thought of my aunts as old ladies. They always stayed interested in young people and their life activities and goals. And whether they like society's changes or not, they still kept up with what was current. I was greatly impressed with my mother's cousin who made a point to re-connect with me by using the internet. It was she who initiated e-mailing between us. She was in her middle seventies when she picked up the computer and e-mailing. I mention this because so many people reject the internet and computers as they age. Big mistake! If technology isn't your thing, get your grandchildren or a friend's kids to help you with that one. Rejecting the internet is like rejecting telephones. It is today's way of communication. We all need to stay connected to stay alive in today's world. That doesn't mean we should be part of the techno-addiction affecting so many of the young people. It's a tool and a means of staying connected. Keep it that way. Life lesson 2: Stay current.
When was the last time you took a walk just to get outside and "get the stink blown off you" as the old-timers always said? Get up off that sofa and turn off the television, and go do something interesting. Check out the art events and entertainment around town. Attend a book discussion at the library. Take a class in something you have always been interested in. Do something where you can meet new people. Stop calling yourself old. I like to hang around with young people in the arts. They have a mind-set of not being limited as they approach their art ventures. It's the first time for them to try their art and they have not yet been jaded by the world and its criticism of their art. As an artist myself, I like to encourage the younger artists and find out how they are thinking. Sometimes I can even give them some perspective from an older artist's experiences without discouraging them. Interacting with the young helps to blow out the creative cobwebs and springboards me into new creativity. There may be nothing new under the sun, but I still like the new designs that can be created for that old mousetrap. Life lesson 3: Don't be afraid to try something new. By now you should know what will hurt you and what won't hurt you. Use the wisdom you should have gained with age, but don't let that wisdom of experience become a barrier to you trying something new you have always wanted to do. life lesson 4: Never stop learning. I was always greatly impressed by my grandfather who only had a third grade education. But he was a good reader, and he used that valuable ability to teach himself many life skills. By reading, he taught himself how to use a slide rule. I can remember how he showed everyone he could how to work a slide rule once he figured out that skill for himself. Grandpa was a man who was interested in everything and was a person who would travel far to experience new things. He was a dimensional thinker. In life he was a home builder and a bricklayer. Some of my special time with Grandpa were when we sat together and designed houses on paper. Little did I know that he actually build those houses we designed. I can remember the last house he built. When he showed me the blueprints and talked about the house, I could already see it finished. To my mother, it was all Greek. When the house was completed it looked exactly as I saw it in my mind from Grandpa's description and plans. The house had many features that were decades ahead of its time. Grandma was very avant-garde in her decorating of the house. They were a good pair of young thinkers who left a legacy of glorious homes throughout the area. Both always stayed current with the housing trends, and their first question to anybody was, "So, what's new in your life?" I can remember that they often travelled to visit people they had talked to, whether family or friends, to see how they were living their lives and to experience what was current for those people.
One final lesson...don't dwell on the past. Don't get me wrong, memories are good. But dwelling on past regrets doesn't accomplish anything and it can become a rut. Move on! You are never too old to try something new. If there is something you always wanted to do but society has put an age limit on it, find another way to accomplish it. Being flexible about your goals will help you to accomplish them. I find that I have to re-invent myself roughly every 5 to 10 years. Redefining what I want to be when I grow up is a constant in my life. It has occurred to me that I need to be constantly making new friends. Not all my current friends are keeping up with the aging process. They are getting old, and many of them are dying way too young. Many won't make it to that 120 mark. I'd like to have some friends who will be able to have a few of the "remember when" chats from time to time. And, I'd like to have lunch with Betty White when she hits the 120 mile marker!
Even before the movie about Benjamin Button, I had made a decision to age in reverse. One of my greatest inspiration for aging well came from an aunt who still remembered how to be young. Living in a small town, she walked everywhere. My aunt was from a generation of ladies who never drove a car, and yet, she managed to travel all over the country and to get wherever she needed to go. I can remember that she and her sister were always ready to "go" when the offer was presented. Often times they left with their handbags and the clothes on their backs, but go they did at a moment's notice. Life lesson: Spontaneity is important. I can still remember when the same aunt, while in her eighties, was mugged one day while walking downtown in her small hometown. Still being spry enough, she ran after her thief and actually caught him, whereupon she grabbed him by the ear and marched him to the local police station to press charges. That was when I decided I wanted to approach life with the same gusto as I aged, and to never grow "old". I never thought of my aunts as old ladies. They always stayed interested in young people and their life activities and goals. And whether they like society's changes or not, they still kept up with what was current. I was greatly impressed with my mother's cousin who made a point to re-connect with me by using the internet. It was she who initiated e-mailing between us. She was in her middle seventies when she picked up the computer and e-mailing. I mention this because so many people reject the internet and computers as they age. Big mistake! If technology isn't your thing, get your grandchildren or a friend's kids to help you with that one. Rejecting the internet is like rejecting telephones. It is today's way of communication. We all need to stay connected to stay alive in today's world. That doesn't mean we should be part of the techno-addiction affecting so many of the young people. It's a tool and a means of staying connected. Keep it that way. Life lesson 2: Stay current.
When was the last time you took a walk just to get outside and "get the stink blown off you" as the old-timers always said? Get up off that sofa and turn off the television, and go do something interesting. Check out the art events and entertainment around town. Attend a book discussion at the library. Take a class in something you have always been interested in. Do something where you can meet new people. Stop calling yourself old. I like to hang around with young people in the arts. They have a mind-set of not being limited as they approach their art ventures. It's the first time for them to try their art and they have not yet been jaded by the world and its criticism of their art. As an artist myself, I like to encourage the younger artists and find out how they are thinking. Sometimes I can even give them some perspective from an older artist's experiences without discouraging them. Interacting with the young helps to blow out the creative cobwebs and springboards me into new creativity. There may be nothing new under the sun, but I still like the new designs that can be created for that old mousetrap. Life lesson 3: Don't be afraid to try something new. By now you should know what will hurt you and what won't hurt you. Use the wisdom you should have gained with age, but don't let that wisdom of experience become a barrier to you trying something new you have always wanted to do. life lesson 4: Never stop learning. I was always greatly impressed by my grandfather who only had a third grade education. But he was a good reader, and he used that valuable ability to teach himself many life skills. By reading, he taught himself how to use a slide rule. I can remember how he showed everyone he could how to work a slide rule once he figured out that skill for himself. Grandpa was a man who was interested in everything and was a person who would travel far to experience new things. He was a dimensional thinker. In life he was a home builder and a bricklayer. Some of my special time with Grandpa were when we sat together and designed houses on paper. Little did I know that he actually build those houses we designed. I can remember the last house he built. When he showed me the blueprints and talked about the house, I could already see it finished. To my mother, it was all Greek. When the house was completed it looked exactly as I saw it in my mind from Grandpa's description and plans. The house had many features that were decades ahead of its time. Grandma was very avant-garde in her decorating of the house. They were a good pair of young thinkers who left a legacy of glorious homes throughout the area. Both always stayed current with the housing trends, and their first question to anybody was, "So, what's new in your life?" I can remember that they often travelled to visit people they had talked to, whether family or friends, to see how they were living their lives and to experience what was current for those people.
One final lesson...don't dwell on the past. Don't get me wrong, memories are good. But dwelling on past regrets doesn't accomplish anything and it can become a rut. Move on! You are never too old to try something new. If there is something you always wanted to do but society has put an age limit on it, find another way to accomplish it. Being flexible about your goals will help you to accomplish them. I find that I have to re-invent myself roughly every 5 to 10 years. Redefining what I want to be when I grow up is a constant in my life. It has occurred to me that I need to be constantly making new friends. Not all my current friends are keeping up with the aging process. They are getting old, and many of them are dying way too young. Many won't make it to that 120 mark. I'd like to have some friends who will be able to have a few of the "remember when" chats from time to time. And, I'd like to have lunch with Betty White when she hits the 120 mile marker!
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