Longevity - what’s the key?

I truly am fascinated by aging because it is so unique to each individual. Getting older is inevitable; getting old is not. And that is what is so fascinating — all the steps we can take to make getting older the best it can be.

In his book, Aging Strong, The Extraordinary Gift of a Longer Life,” Dr. Bud Harris reminds us that we are living longer today and with more vitality than people ever have — that is, IF we seize the opportunity to do so through conscious choices in attitude and lifestyle.

We must work at getting older. It means letting go of some things, opening the door to others. I suspect some people get fearful (I know I do sometime). What will old age be like? What if my spouse dies? What if, what if, what if. Fear and worry grabs us and sucks the spirit out of us.

Dr. Harris cites a comment from Carl Jung about the fear of getting older: “Life behaves as if it were going on, and so I think it is better for an older person to live on, to look forward to the next day, as if he had to spend centuries, and then he lives properly. But when he is afraid, when he doesn’t look foward, he looks back, he gets stiff and dies before his time.”

In his book, Ageless Body, Timeless Mind,” Deepak Chopra gives many examples of people who have lived to be 100 and beyond. He also noted that not many people know many centenarians. That made me reflect on some of my elder acquaintances and family members.

My own mother lived to 97, and her father was 96 when he passed. Her sister passed away recently at the great age of 101. Aunt Matilda was spunky and “with it” until the end. Her daughter had taken her to Saturday night Mass (just a few hours before she died). As they left the church, Matilda noticed a bucket in the vestibule catching water from a leaky roof. “Well,” she remarked, “we wouldn’t want to kick the bucket, would we.”

Then there’s the lady here in our little village who now resides in a nursing home. She is 101, also with a sharp brain and great attitude. I’ve always marveled at Grace’s attitude considering she outlived a husband and saw three sons die as a result of car accidents.

Attitude –toward life, death and getting older — that’s the key to unlocking the mystery of a long-lived life.