Frank Lieberman - Part 3

Part 3   It Has Nothing To Do With Age continued from Chapter 1

Just because we age, does not mean we have to retire or stop living productively.  We can also evolve and become an active outdoor participant in meaningful and healthy events.  Noted attorney, Eugene D’Ablemont, 870, was forced to retire from his New York law firm even though he was a partner there for four decades, and definitely did not want to retire. Essentially our society forced him to step down, pushing aside the facts that he was still productive, successful and engaged and committed to his profession.  Our society views aging in terms of numbers, rather than ability.  The question remains, who should make the decision?  In my opinion, we need to challenge the notion of how this arbitrary, stand-alone number is the basis for retirement.

Is there more to life than work in today’s world?  Look around and you will see “older “individuals being more active, acting younger, and participating in more adventurous activities.  Take Hse Telesmanich, for example.  At 90 years of age, she sprained her ankle while hiking in South Africa.  Was her sprained ankle, a problem that got in the way of her hiking?  No!  She said, “I got very good at hopping on one foot.”

When Tom Lackey was a youthful 89, he stood atop the wing of a biplane while it was flying across the English Channel. Why did he do it?  His explanation was that he took up wing-walking as a way to deal with the grief of losing his wife.  There are, of course, simpler and less dangerous ways to deal with loss.  You might become like Jon Mendes, age 90, who entered the New York City Marathon in 2010, or even like Canadian Olga Kotelko, age 91, who still competes and holds the record for the javelin throw, 100 meter dash, shot put, and the high jump in Masters track competition for her age group.  At the moment, she is the age group.  Who knows, you might become a competitor in the centenarian age group too.

To be continued