Don't Just Sit There

[david]

Get your motor runnin'Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes your way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
Like a true nature's child
You were born, born to be wild
You can climb so high
and never wanna die

In 2007, I traveled all around the U.S. and Canada, staying exclusively in retirement complexes. I met hundreds of retired people and made an effort have a meal and converse with as many as possible. In all, I believe I spoke with more than one thousand souls – mostly in their 70s and 80s, many a bit older.

I also lived for more than a year at The Hampshire, a retirement community in Merced. There, I became friends with a number of septua- octo- and nonagenarians – plus a very special 101-year-old, Frank Pelatowski, with whom I became very close.

Just as tall people grow weary of being repeatedly asked, “How’s the weather up there?” I imagine oldsters get tired of, “What’s the secret to living so long?”

Frank’s stock reply is one of the best: “Just don’t die,” he advises those who inquire.

While I’m convinced that most people actually do grow wiser as they age, I’m not sure they gain a much better understanding of the key to longevity. There’s something to be learned from most theories offered by the really old, old-timers, but I don’t think the truth can be described in a single phrase.

For 94-year-old Marion Downs, longevity is a matter of attitude. Her mantra: "Shut up and live!" That also happens to be the title of her book. Downs, who took her first ski lesson at age 50, said she recalls that she was whining to the ski instructor, "I can't do this."

"Shut up and ski," the instructor replied.

106-year-old Ann Nixon Cooper voted for Barak Obama in November. “I ain’t got time to die,” she said. “I don’t know how it happened, but being cheerful had a lot to do with it. I’ve always been a happy person, a giggling person – a wide-mouthed person!”

A 113-year-old Japanese man suggests abstaining from alcohol; and a 105-year-old British woman says steer clear of sex.

According to 1933 obituaries published in both Time Magazine and the New York Times, Li Ching-Yun was thought by some Chinese citizens to have buried 23 wives and fostered 180 descendants by the time he died at the age of 256.

According to those reports, his explanation for lasting more than two-and-one-half centures was a commitment to “keep a quiet heart, sit like a tortoise, walk sprightly like a pigeon and sleep like a dog.”.

American fitness pioneer, television celebrity and entrepreneur Jack La Lanne, who will be 95 later this year, argues that exercise and nutrition are the keys to longevity. His continued vigor, and common sense, argue in favor of this advice.

The folks I’ve met over the past few years who are in their 80s and above have all beaten the odds. They have all managed to achieve longevity, whether by following some deliberate practices in pursuit of long lives or by luck.

I can’t, therefore, offer a recipe for longevity. Long life is more likely among those whose ancestors lived long, among those who maintain good health and fitness levels and among those who just have good fortune – perhaps supplemented by good genes.

I can, however, offer a few observations of the behavior of older Americans – and Canadians. I have observed a pretty sizeable sampling and feel comfortable offering a simple hypothesis:

Those who remain involved in a broad range of pursuits seem to enjoy life more than those who lose interest.

For too many of those who reside in so-called “independent living” facilities, life becomes a very finite series of routine events.

Meals become the driving force. Mealtimes dictate behavior and much of the time between meals is lost time. The process of seating and serving dozens of people takes time – perhaps as much as four hours each day.

And gaps between meals don’t allow time for many errands and outings.

Other daily pursuits, including personal hygiene and favorite television programs make venturing out into the world even less common. In fact, most residents don’t even participate in activities offered right in the building – just a few minutes away from their rooms.

The exceptions to this standard – perhaps 15 or 20 percent (which is only one in five), can be seen reading, solving puzzles, walking on the grounds and neighboring streets and engaged in activities inside the building. They also take advantage of field trips and use the van to go shopping or perform other errands.

And these few survivors also tend to interact with each other – and not just to discuss meals and medicine and simple pleasantries.

Sooner or later, age will restrict physical activity. But, absent a medical problem, I’m convinced that mental and physical and emotional and spiritual activity can – and should – continue throughout one’s lifetime.

I’m hoping that eternal youth can be achieved by staying in my life, by maintaining an interest in the great big wonderful world and the amazing people and other creatures that share it with me.

When I first met Frank Pelatowski, he was 99 years old. But he was one of the youngest souls at The Hampshire.

Every time I greeted him, he was ready for action. Within seconds, he began a sentence with a magical four-letter word: “Well…”

Frank still wakes up each morning with a burning desire to do something. He wants nothing more than to be involved with a project that he feels is worthy of his time and energy.

As I move into the septua-, Octo- and nonagenarian years, I hope I’ll be lucky enough to retain my mobility and my ability to think clearly.

I will do my best to follow Frank’s advice and “just don’t die.”

And, if I find myself complaining about the unfairness of the aging process, I hope I’ll remember the admonition offered by Marion Downs: “Shut up and live!”