I’m quite keen on living as long as possible with all cylinders still firing. It surprises me that some people give longevity little thought. Maybe it matters more to me knowing my grandmothers lived into their 90s in good health.
There are no guarantees, of course. We could receive a grave diagnosis tomorrow and we likely know someone living right now with such news and treasuring every minute of every day.
We can improve our odds by what we eat and by what we don’t eat, by sleeping well and exercising regularly, and by learning better ways to handle stress. Research says making and maintaining friendships throughout life promotes health and longevity.
Health insurance can also increase longevity by helping us catch bad things before they become a real problem. What a national shame and injustice that so many fellow citizens cannot afford it.
There are countless ways to measure our aging process — bodies once fit and trim now wrinkled and paunchy, minds once quick and curious, now foggy and befuddled, and spirits once open and optimistic, now inflexible and cynical.
Eckhart Tolle is more thoughtful than most about the way life works. He claims we can sense within a youthful spirit not subject to the aging process of our bodies. The more we learn to abide there, the more our bodies take note and age less quickly. Interesting claim to ponder.
This week I turn 65 years old. We all have a particular birthday that awakens us to our mortality. This 65th may be the year for me. Sixty-five sounds old, plain and simple, despite my feeling some two decades shy of 65.
It’s curious how we start out wanting to be older — old enough to drive a car, or order a beer, or maybe even vote. Then suddenly we need cheaters for the menu and hearing aids for a crowded restaurant. I am now slower to find my words, quicker to believe the pain in my knee is here to stay, and less willing to take things like balance for granted.
So why carer about longevity? How we live every day is more important than how many days we have to live, right? Yes, but why not strive live every day fully and do what we can to extend our days? Yes, to have our cake and eat it too!
Knowing our life could end today, maybe longevity should not be the primary goal. Maybe the wiser approach would be to learn how to seize the day fully and be ready to let go at any moment.
The saying, “If you learn to die before you die, you won’t die when you die”, is an ancient Greek inscription found at St. Paul’s Monastery on Mount Athos.
Perhaps the best measure of a life well lived is not longevity, but contentment. Imagine arriving at a place in life, whether at age 17 or 65, wherein you find yourself quietly content knowing that by letting go to your life fully, while you still have a life, there will always be more life to live.
The Rev. Bradford Clark is the rector of Ascension Memorial Church in Ipswich.