I started out the last blog with this idea in mind and got completely off the subject, which turned it into a different blog all together. So lets try to stay on task with this one, you silly space case old hippy dude.
The thing that comes to my feeble, wandering mind this time is how many folks I'm coming in contact with nowadays who are incredibly healthy, vibrant and still contributing members of society on into their much later years. Aren't you seeing this new phenomena also in your lives with people you know or see everyday?
Seems like only yesterday 50, 60 and 70 year old people were just this side of dead, if not already. If not gone, they were confined to wheelchairs or walkers by that age. I'm sure all of us have heard that the farther back in time you study human history, old age was at a time in life much younger than it is now. I've heard of folks from the "cowboy days" for instance only living into their 40's. People in their 40's back then were just this side of looking up at roots instead of down at the grass.
Some examples I can think of just off the top of my twisted, feeble mind and personal experience would be:
I just talked to the best example yesterday. This is a man I know who just turned 90 years old. He spent his life as the owner operator of a well drilling company. On top of working super hard his whole life, he has also been a musician playing in a western music band with friends and relatives. Well, he finally sold the company and retired just a few years back but still to this day plays gigs late into the night at various venues. He still works out in his yard, plants and attends his garden. He still drives his car anywhere he wants to go and is in my view quite vibrant, healthy and happy in his "older" years. He tells me he knows he probably only has a little time left but lives each day with glee and gusto.
Another man I know is 75 years old and still works in the building industry full time. He walks in with a full tool belt hanging on his belt, a pocket full of pencils for planning out his jobs and a work truck completely full of a hard working man's power tools. Everything he does he does with vigor, energy and apparently a strong back. He's the kind of man who talks, walks and works fast and with purpose. I truly doubt most young people could stay up with him throughout a long hard day at work.
I could go on and on with examples of people I personally know or have met through these past years who defy everything we thought we knew about what one can or should be doing in our "older" years. All I know is this whole thing has been completely redefined for those of us in those age brackets in this new time of human history.
This new "older" generation also have changed the whole idea of retiring also. In our fathers time, his generation could not wait to retire, take out the lawn and put in gravel. Set about getting everything in their lives as maintenance free as possible so they could spend their days in the rocking chair relaxing. Maybe a little traveling. As we know, after about 6 months in the rocking chair, they were found with their heads on their chests gone for the count, finally obtaining the ultimate nap. Obviously, this whole life thing involves a great deal of "use it or lose it" now doesn't it?
We all have to ask the obvious questions now don't we? Why are we now living so much longer in great health and with pretty good energy levels compared to our forefathers and mothers? Not the energy of youth. That's for sure but plenty of energy to do whatever you want with breaks in between the bursts. How is this possible?
The changes that have enabled us to live so much longer and better that come to mind right off the bat would be the whole present emphasis on health. Healthy living, exercising, healthy eating and probably most important healthy attitudes about and with life in general. Of course we have to hand our doctors and their associates a healthy dose of thanks, gratitude and appreciation for the modern medicinal approaches to the subject of health. We now can take blood pressure pills, cholesterol pills, adult daily aspirin, Hallelujah and whoopee for Viagra huh? and anything else one requires for their good long standing health.
So the bottom line here is we all need to look around at all the "older" folks still contributing to the good of society with the experience and expertise they apply to their jobs, the companies they own or work for and for just still being with us. Add to this we all owe them a note of gratitude for the wisdom they have acquired over a lifetime of knowledge and just plain know how they teach everyone who are lucky enough to be around them.
Maybe society owes them a great big THANK YOU! I'm sure that would just embarrass them but would also give them a warm fuzzy feeling deep down inside.......and we all certainly could use one of those from time to time in this crazy world we find ourselfs in huh?
By the way...........being only 39, none of this applies in the slightest to me.......I just thought I would write a piece about all you "older" folks......
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That would make me 29 years old and
I am excited to know I'll be driving that big rig intill 100.
Jerry..............
39 may ass ! You paddle like a 90yr old ! You know who !
Paul, you don't look a day over 38 years old and 11 months. Very well preserved for your age.
My thoughts are that people fall into 3 categories, those who can count and those who can't.
An old man in a rest home in Miami, is having his 97th birthday that coming Friday. He wants to make sure everyone knows this so he goes around asking people to guess his age. He comes to a hip 90 year old woman in the recreation room and says: "I bet you can't guess how old I am!"
The woman, coyly, says " I bet I can tell you your age!"
OK he says "How old am I"
The woman says to him, come with me to my room. When they get there she says "take off all your clothes and I will tell you how old you are!"
Oy! says the man "take off all my clothes?"
Yes she says, "that's how I can tell your age."
So the man takes off all his clothes. The woman looks him up and then looks him down. "Turn around" she says. She looks him up and she looks him down.
Ah ha! she says "you are going to be exactly 97 years old this Friday!"
Oy! the man says you're right, how did you do that?
'You told us yesterday!!!" she says and walks out of the room.
So you see even 90 year-olds play games with each other. In fact playing games seems to be what keeps us young. My wife's parents are 94 and 91 years old, they play cards, bridge and rummy skillfully. They enjoy a hot game of Scrabble, with the bad words left in. They try to cheat, because it is fun and don't get angry when they are caught. The only thing dragging them down, is the fact that their bodies are wearing out. But as Pappy said when advised to not have heart surgery at age 90, last year: If I survive the operation I will not have heart problems; and if I do not I will not have heart problems, so it is a win-win situation. He is doing fine after surgery, it is now his diabetes which is giving him trouble.
Don one of your Barbershop clients, in Newcastle. When are you going back to giving cheap lobotomies???
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