The picture above is of Paul Debrone, retired Air Canada pilot, in the early days of his retirement. Paul still holds the world record for the longest-tenured pilot in aviation history – 46 years of continuous service with Air Canada, which included being the #1 pilot in seniority for eight straight years. It’s also the… Continue reading A Retirement Salvaged – A Story About Paying Attention.
Category: Health and Wellness
What’s It Really Like Being 80 Years Old? Surprise, surprise! Nothing changed.
Image by annca from Pixabay As you might expect, turning 80 generates this question a lot. There’s a strange significance tied to it, perhaps because something less than half the U.S. population gets there. Well, I just got there — with much more fanfare and celebration than I expected or deserved. Having gotten there, I don’t find… Continue reading What’s It Really Like Being 80 Years Old? Surprise, surprise! Nothing changed.
How Come Some Older People Don’t Want To Live That Long?
This is one of those basic existential questions that we all wrestle with at some point in our lives. Do I want to live long? It’s easy to understand why one would want life to be over if they are in constant pain, lonely/isolated, and are merely drawing breath, using up oxygen, and taking up… Continue reading How Come Some Older People Don’t Want To Live That Long?
Open Letter to Someone Who Needs to Be Rich to Avoid Suffering.
Image by Siggy Nowak from Pixabay Someone, somewhere, popped this question recently on Quora.com. I had to respond. How can I be rich? Am I suffering too much? May I ask – are you talking intrinsic riches or extrinsic riches? The difference? Extrinsic = external, materialistic, possession-based riches such as money, houses, cars, clothes, etc. Intrinsic = internal… Continue reading Open Letter to Someone Who Needs to Be Rich to Avoid Suffering.
Can One Live to 80 Without Any Ailments? It’ll Take More Than Luck and Genetics.
Turning 80 is apparently a pretty big deal. I just did it and found that it drew a lot more attention than when I turned 70 – or any other age I recall. Except, perhaps, 21. For stupid adolescent reasons, I don’t remember much about that one. I was somewhere in Cheyenne, Wyoming with a… Continue reading Can One Live to 80 Without Any Ailments? It’ll Take More Than Luck and Genetics.
How I Know That I Will Live to 112 1/2. No – It’s Not the Broccoli!
Image by 185128 from Pixabay Such good news. Isn’t it incredible? So much helpful news proliferating online with newly discovered answers to long-standing mysteries about our bodies and our health? Like the significance of standing on one foot. Seriously, who woulda thunk it? Your ability to stand on one foot may be a predictor of how long… Continue reading How I Know That I Will Live to 112 1/2. No – It’s Not the Broccoli!
Does life really get harder as you get older? It gets down to choices. Here are four simple ones.
It’s a question we’ll face at some point on our journey. It’s really about the choices we make as we age. Life can be harder or easier based on those choices I recently experienced the 20th anniversary of my 60 birthday. Hard to believe that I’ve gotten this far. I haven’t had a dramatic life… Continue reading Does life really get harder as you get older? It gets down to choices. Here are four simple ones.
Want To Max Out Your Longevity and Do It In Good Health? Good Luck – You’re On Your Own!
Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay Let me whip this dead horse again. Our healthcare system isn’t. It’s a disease-care system. And there’s little chance it will ever do much more than dispense medical advice and fix the downstream problems without bothering to look upstream. Or, as I’ve said before, it’s a system well trained in mopping… Continue reading Want To Max Out Your Longevity and Do It In Good Health? Good Luck – You’re On Your Own!
More people now want to live to 100 or beyond. What’s up with that? Three thoughts from a future centenarian.
Nausea was a common reaction. Derisive laughter and/or a cocked eyebrow were givens every time. That’s what happened when I began to trumpet 5+ years ago, as I approached 75, that I was planning to live to 112 1/2. Even my explanation for the unusual number didn’t allay the negative reactions to the prospect of… Continue reading More people now want to live to 100 or beyond. What’s up with that? Three thoughts from a future centenarian.
“Suicide By Lifestyle.” Can We Get Any Better At This Art Form in America? Yes- Here Are Five Suggestions.
Image: Flotsam/Shutterstock.com Suicide by lifestyle. Now there’s a term that seems appropriate for today’s America considering our lifespan is receding and our healthspan tends to be pretty stinky relative to its potential. I couldn’t ignore the phrase when I came across it in a new book I’ve just started – “The Body: A Guide for… Continue reading “Suicide By Lifestyle.” Can We Get Any Better At This Art Form in America? Yes- Here Are Five Suggestions.