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Why am I still trying to accomplish something into my "golden years?" This question kept creeping into my sub-conscious as I pondered what I wanted to write about this month. I know I love talking to new and interesting people, and serving others gives me great pleasure too. Yes, I love to write and I do enjoy challenges that I meet along life's roadway, and I especially delight in learning new things. I seem to be having a good time at being and doing what I love best right now. Have I always been this way? And where did I find it within myself to pick myself back up again each time I failed and start building my life over again, one brick at a time?
I did a little research recently and I think I have discovered the reason for my constant source of joy, when learning and then doing, even when I failed at something new over and over again. I began to look for living proof of why we should stay mentally active and how it could give us longevity-enhancing rewards, even when we are past the age some people consider as retirement.
Several key factors are readily available to those of us not choosing a cloistered life or thinking about retiring anytime soon. More and more studies now show that every day we spend doing work that we hate is very expensive. It robs us of our creative spirit, impacts our attitude and physical well-being in a negative way, and causes us to miss out on the adventure that our personal life journey was intended to be.
In the book "Aging with Grace" by David Snowdon, he told about a study that was done on some nuns who lived an identical life. All of them lived way past 90+ years of age, some even into their 100s. They all had some common factors: They didn't smoke or drink. Naturally! They lived in a community environment where all their needs were met, so they had no stress. They were positive about themselves and had good language skills and therefore were the liveliest in old age. Other positive aspects of these women's lives were that they were devoted lifelong learners, participating in daily discussion groups and continuing to keep their brains exercised!
Gene Cohen, Director of the Center on Aging at George Washington University said, "If you want to enhance mental functioning as you age, make it a point to learn something new, instead of turning to Ginkgo Biloba. Research shows that hormones are nothing compared to taking a continuing education course for mind expansion." It seems obvious to me doing something you love (whether elective or volunteer) could be a valuable form of life insurance too.
Now, you can be sure some women would tell you the secret of their long lives would be chocolates and younger men! But seriously, when you look at these nun's lives, a passion for their work is what actually keeps them creating well past the time when others have stopped. The assumption that aging means decline and poor health is simply not true anymore, that is unless you believe it yourself! For me and I hope for you, we will spend our life living it in full throttle all along the way. It makes sense to me. We all need to take a look at those who continue to dazzle us despite their years and see what they have to teach us.
George Burns was asked many times what his secret for longevity was. He always gave the same answer, "Fall in love with what you do for a living." That could mean work for a paycheck or perhaps volunteering as we move into our later years. But it definitely means don't ever quit doing or learning and using your brain in whatever you do!
Duke University did a study on people who remain lively into old age. Their study, which included thousands of men and women, has concluded that the single biggest factor contributing to an active old age is doing work that you love throughout your life too. George Burns could have told them that! They said, " It is more important then what you eat or whether you smoke or exercise!" Guess we had better go to work, don't you think?
By the way, the nuns that I mentioned above all donated their brains to research and what they found of those that have passed 90+ was they all had full blown Alzheimer's disease, although none of them ever showed any symptoms while alive. This shows that lifelong doing and learning may be more important then we realize. I have always said, "We must never stop learning and that will keep you doing!" Scientist tell us that we use such a small portion of our brain, I have always thought that surely it would be better to continue to use it until the day we die. I plan to never stop using my mind, regardless of what else happens to my aging body. When I am in my 90's, I plan to learn to play the piano and maybe even pick up an artist paintbrush again, but only when and if I am wheel chair bound!
Have you ever noticed that some old people are a joy to be around and some are just completely unbearable? It seems the" kind of old person" we become starts early in our lives. Like a wall we build over time, one brick at a time. Those bricks are positive acts and thoughts, or maybe negative actions and words. But by the time we reach old age, well- we become whatever those bricks were made of during our lifetime. If we spend our time being miserable, that is what we will have built for ourselves. Or we can choose to be a "wonderful older person" with good thoughts built in our walls. Either way, whatever we put in - that is what we will get out during old age.
So, even if you have failed sometime in your lifetime as I have, you can pick yourself up one more time, no matter your age, dust yourself off and make it a top priority to be a wonderful caretaker of your mind, body and spirit for the rest of your lifespan. Don't wait any longer to get started as you go down the road of life. You don't get to choose how you are going to die; you can only choose how you are going to live, right now…one brick at a time! | 
