
In 2014 I did an interview on a book called, “Younger Next Year.” It was written by a doctor of internal medicine, Henry S. Lodge, and an athlete, Chris Crowley. The overall premise of the book was “how to live optimally well into your 80s and beyond.” The book illustrated three major precepts:
The first, passion – it is what gets us going each day – makes us want to get out of bed; second, exercise – which is more important than what you eat because it nullifies some of things we do to ourselves with our food choices, and third, an intimate relationship – not necessarily sex, though it could be, but definitely someone you can trust to share your deepest, darkest secrets with, and who has your back.
I see many people retire to travel and live life – I truly have already lived an adventurous life – and retirement is not a thought for me right now. I still want to work. Though I may not completely have all three requirements, the job thing is so important because it does consume such a large part of our lives. I know that writing exercises my brain, interviews excite me, and chasing down the facts of a story causes my blood to circulate without interruption of flow. Steve Jobs seems to have possessed a lot of wisdom about the “job” you are in, and his thoughts on this resonate with my own.
I BELIEVE if you are lucky enough to find and get to do what you love, life will drop you a life jacket that keeps you afloat even though your body, and sometimes your mind, exhibit the effects of aging…but, it does so with grace. As to exercise, my four-legged companion, The Doggie Lama, is not happy if he does not get to walk each day and see another human being or pet on the walk – so I do get exercise, though not cardio, with him. As for an intimate relationship, I have not found that person of the opposite sex that “lights my fire,” yet, but I have a couple of female friends with whom I am able to share ANY thing and feel confident they have my back.
So… I think I am set to make it well into my 80s and beyond, if the authors of “Younger Next Year,” are correct. If not, you will know it and say, “Well, that didn’t work for Barbara,” but either way, those three precepts from the book give me the motivation to do my best to make each day matter towards the goal of “living optimally well into my 80s and beyond,” because I only want to be here if I am making a difference.
In my mind, what I can share from the reporting and interviewing I do can make a difference, because I get to search and deliver all sides of an issue or recount someone’s own story about their life with others.
The three precepts from “Younger Next Year” reminded me of keeping the inner fires of my soul ignited.
My Sunday musings for MYSELF.