Rosy Glow – Longevity

 

 

Rosy Glow – Longevity

By

Bob La Torre

 

My good friend the minister recently returned from a trip to Africa and reported that, although only in his early 50s, he was considered an old man by his hosts. What startled his African friends even more was his report that both of his parents still lived. Their reaction was that must be astoundingly old.

Longevity is one of those things we tend to take for granted in America today. In our county alone, which is a popular retirement locale, there are more than 100,000 retired people – about one-third of the population. What is more many of them came here after retirement (age 65), more than 20 years ago.

I love it when I speak at one of the retirement clubs and they announce birthdays. They begin with the 90 year-old celebrants and com up to the bids of 60 years of age or less. Living long is a way of life for us. Many people spend most of their time working for 25 years, while planning for all of the things they will do in retirement.

A look at our obituary pages shows that few people under 60 years of age die in our area. None of this is true in most places outside of the United States. So it is no wonder that the African host of my friend were so impressed with his age. We do live longer and what is more we live more rewarding and productive lives in old age that ever in the history of the human race.

In the natural state man was lucky to have a lifespan much past40 years of age. Men and women who lived until the age of 50 were considered ancient. What confuses us about age is that when we see photographs of “old people” in other cultures, they look much older than they really are.

A combination of good diet, good medical care, and a better lifestyle has allowed us to not only live longer, but look younger.

As a grandparent, I am sometimes amused by commercials that attempt to depict a grandchild with a grandparent. The people, costumes, and lifestyles are more like those of my grandparents and certainly not like ours.

One of the reasons for this inconsistency is that grandma is far more likely to be found today on the tennis court than in the kitchen.

Those who long for the good old days either have short memories or are very young. All but one of my grandparents were dead before I was born. And that was more the norm at the time.

The Lesson for those of us who are reaching old age is that instead of complaining about a little bit of arthritis or lack of stamina, we should be tickled that we will be around to have these “old age” complaints. After 50 years, these are no natural warranties on our bodies. Each year of the good life is more a product of science and technology than of nature.

As far as the condition of these old skin and bones, well that really is up to the individual I have observed men and women in their 60s who are in excellent physical shape, but that too dies not happen naturally. It takes a lot of hard work, but we that option –an option not open to very many people on the planet.

Next time you find yourself complaining about some aches and pains when you first wake up, remember what George Burns said when he was asked how it felt to wake up at 90: “Considering the alternative, it feels quite good.”

That of course is the key to optimism…. No matter how bad things may seem…..considering the alternative…..this is better. At any age just waking up should start our day with that feeling-you know the one. I like to call it…a rosy glow.