Are Your Birthdays Happy ?

Some thoughts about having many happy birthdays even though our present society don’t value the aging process. Just consider the number of businesses that have discovered the cure for discovering the fountain of youth. in fact, one can go on a “fun “cruise to some tropical Island location; one can take certain medications (Viagra) to keep you going; one can eat certain organic foods; one can listen to some guru regarding meditation; one can join the latest workout fad; one can take certain human growth or other supplements; one can select a celebrity diet or one can see a surgeon to deal with eye lifts, wrinkle reduction or even changing the color of one’s hair.

Of course no one is marketing gaining more knowledge, wisdom or how to even pursue favorite passions?  Just think about some of the advantages of achieving many happy birthdays: 1. Having time for self. 2. Having time for travel. 3. Having time to engage in new activities/ learning. 4. Having time for personal relationships including sex. By no means does this list exhaust all the possibilities. I’m sure you can think of a few that I haven’t mentioned.

Can you explain why we don’t hear more about Marian Hartley? You might be wondering who she is. Marian, at the young age of 84, flew a single-engine plane across the Atlantic. Did you know that Frank Loyd Wright completed the Guggenheim Museum at age 91? Let’s not forget Bertrand Russell who formed a nuclear disarmament group at age 88. I’ll bet there are other youngsters who’ve accomplished the unthinkable?

Let’s not forget that some people seem to age more happily and healthily than others. Why might that be? Not only that, we can’t control  how long we will live nor can we guarantee that  by following a healthy lifestyle will result in becoming a centenarian since illness; loss, tragedy, and stress exist, and are plentiful in our world.

Remember, roughly 2/3 of what happens to us is a matter of choice and most importantly decision-making while the remaining third is related to heredity. This means that we have many choices and decisions to make throughout the life cycle.  Ralph Waldo Emerson stated: “As a man thinketh, so is he, and as a man chooseth, so is he.” in other words, how one thinks and the decisions made is the essence. Often, the use of defense mechanisms such as rationalization, denial, intellectualization etc. distorts our reality with the result that our thinking leads to or contributes to unproductive / self-defeating behavior. If you incorporate some of these words, into your being , that describe old people, such as  “slow, sad, bitter, mean, stodgy, sour, boring, dull, or depressing,”  you have one  very serious significant problem. These words are not only unpleasant or unflattering they are also like reins that influence attitude and feelings about self. It is clear that negative ideas lead to low self-esteem and poor decision-making. on the contrary, positive self-worth does not result from incorporating those negative words. So, replace those self-defeating words with words like the following: “happy, enthusiastic, dynamic, loving, and fun,” in order to have a more positive attitude and better self worth. Believe me, if you have a positive attitude you’re more likely to engage in more positive behavior.  Source: “Successful Aging” by Mary O’Brien, M.D.

To be continued:

What a blast this past weekend. I was joined by my friends for the Way Too Cool 50 K. The weather and the trails were superb. However, the highlights included being serenaded by Randall and Diane which we called the” Soul Train” as a result of the runners who stayed with us for the final 5 to 6 miles. That evening we had the party and once again were serenaded by Randall and Diane. That was a great way to spend a weekend-running and parting with your friends. Madhu’s younger brother Kishor joined us as well as Jonathan and Rufus from Southern California. Jonathan makes the trip annually and aside from being a friend he is my 100 mile Swanton Pacific Ride and Tie partner.  You can read about that adventure, and it was an adventure, in “It Has Nothing To Do With Age.” Alpha ran with me for about 18 miles.  At aid station at the recycling center, I asked him to head back on the trail and look for Jonathan because he was struggling and he did. He joined the Soul Train at Goat Hill and ran to the finish. Linda and Debbie did a great job taking pictures and were there at the aid stations and finish. Thank you all.