On Aging

Jul. 15th, 2015 12:33 pm
grimrose_eilwynn: (Default)
[personal profile] grimrose_eilwynn
I read this article and loved it. It's about a 101-year-old woman who scales down tall towers with only a harness in tow:

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/doris-long-101-year-old-abseiler

I aspire to be like that when I'm older. For one thing, I'm too energetic to be able to enjoy an easy retirement. Sitting around and doing nothing all the time has never suited me. For another, I think age is a mindset.

Let me explain what I mean. I have one set of grandparents, my Nana and Papa, who after their retirement, did nothing but sit around and watch TV all day. They didn't want to work, go to clubs, have hobbies, or go traveling. They didn't take good care of their health. They didn't keep up with modern technology. They had the mentality that they'd already seen and done it all, and at 70 they could do anything they damn well pleased.

One of them is dead, and the other seems old and has some very serious health problems.

But then there's my other grandmother. She keeps up with all the latest books and movies, has lots of Apple technology and social media accounts, and goes traveling all the time. She's aged well, has significantly less health problems, and seems much healthier.

There are other role models I've had on aging well. I remember this little old lady who lived across the street from me growing up. She lived by herself, did everything for herself, and took walks all the time. She was thin, spry, and energetic, even into her very old age.

One person I really admire for aging well is Yoko Ono. That lady doesn't let anything stop her. She's still energetic, politically active, technologically aware, and she keeps up with modern music. She's doing new work and traveling all the time, and she speaks out against ageism. Yoko Ono has aged well, in part because she doesn't see herself as "old" -- her age doesn't hold her back.

And that's what I'm talking about. I think the great secret to aging well is not paying close attention to your age. I want to be the kind of person, when I'm older, who travels, keeps up with politics and modern music, keeps up with the latest innovations, and adapts to the social times. I want to keep creating, even well into old age, and I hope to take good care of my health. The goal is not to live forever, but to enjoy life for as long as possible.

I never want to be the kind of old person who just sits around in slippers in front of the TV and waits for death.

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Hopeless Dreamer

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