If a person is lucky enough, they become old but getting to that point is not guaranteed as life is not fair. But how old is old?
When I was a teenager a person in their 40s would have been considered old. Today, I consider that 40-year old person a youngster. However, the 82-year old Thai lady that lives down the road from me is old. But, chances are that I might change my mind in 20 years.
This is what I have learned thus far in 63 years. Life can be broken down into three parts.
1. You care about what other people think about you.
2. You don’t care what other people think about you.
3. You realize that people weren’t thinking about you to begin with.
The more things change, the more they remain the same. I heard this statement from time to time growing up and I never really understood what it meant. I do now. Sit on the beach and watch the waves coming in. Or go sit by a fire and watch the flames. A person can watch the rain drops or a river flowing by; maybe take in the sunset or the sunrise. Everything is changing and yet, nothing is changed.
As I have gotten older, the technological changes are seemingly daily, but the underlying human condition remains the same. The poor are still poor, the rich are still rich, there are wars always going on and governments and politicians are still the necessary evil. There are very few free lunches in life. People still behave much in the same way they were doing 15,000 years ago.
Experts trot out guidelines for growing old all the time. I hear tips like don’t eat fatty foods. Eat plants. Take vitamins. Drugs are bad. Drugs are good. Exercise. Stay out of the Sun. Get out more. Sleep more. Do more. Married people live longer. Stay single. Avoid stress.
All these suggestions may or may not be true. I’m thinking about half of them may play a part. The other half comes from genetics and that is more or less a crap shoot.
Don't get in a hurry. The Thais have an expression mai ben lai that basically means never mind and I probably use it more than I should. As a former paramedic/firefighter in my 20s and paratrooper in my 30s there were times I had to be in a hurry. But not today. I take breaks.
My face has got wrinkles and I must admit that I am starting to look like an old man. On the outside, not the inside. Well that is not really true. A few years back I attempted to do a back flip like I had done thousands of times in my youth.
My flip turned into a flop. My brain was thinking 30, my body was acting 50.
Balancing the day is another key to longevity. Hard work never killed anyone.
Proper attitudes are a must for successful aging.
Having a positive mental attitude does help to add the years up.
If I want to have a crappy day, I can have one.
If I want a good day then I can have one.
It is really up to me.
Like we use to say when I was a teenager. Keep on truckin!
