Over 100. In a recent article, aging researchers interviewed 14 people over 100 years old. The research was more in the vein of oral history than science. Each person stressed one factor they believed to be important for longevity. I found their comments to be very interesting. The stressed factor and my comment in italics for each person were:
Pick a good mate (we picked each other and I am glad she has put up with me)
Do what you love (I still do)
Don’t neglect your education (learning should be life-long)
Stay true to your principles (integrity and character are important)
Learn tolerance (a good principle)
Cherish friendships (nurture and care for others)
Think positive (look for good in others and in your life)
Learn from your elders (who are your elders when you are 100?)
Believe in your own potential (part of being positive)
Keep asking questions (curiosity is a pillar for learning)
Be kind (another good principle)
Never stop reading (another key to lifelong learning)
Keep moving (exercise more than apples will keep the doctor away)
Stay determined (another part of being positive)
I would summarize them by saying — have good values, stay positive and keep your mind and body active with people and activities. I am not 100 but at over 80 I believe I am old. I like their list of factors for any age.
The full article can be found at — https://wapo.st/488wwGl.
Memory and Aging. The recent furor over President Biden’s memory puzzles me. I studied memory and I am 81 years old. I am not surprised that his memory is not great. I am surprised that people think Donald Trump does not have memory issues at 77. Bill Kristol a well-known conservative and Trump opponent made the observation (paraphrase) – just because Trump keeps saying the same things over and over again in an angry manner does not mean he has a great memory and is vigorous.
In my experience, after age 70 short-term memory begins to flake and crumble. It becomes as dust in a Kansas wind. Long-term-memory (LTM) is more of a retrieval problem. Retrieval of LTM is like being on a highway with many distractions, road blocks and dreaded drawbridges. Often when I try to get to a memory the drawbridge opens and I wait, sometimes for a brief time, sometimes for longer. Sometimes I Google the answer. Sometimes the bridge does not close until the middle of the night when I remember a word, a face, a name, a place.
I will worry in my own life when the drawbridge closes and the memories are gone.
In the meantime, if I am to chose between two old men, it will not be about who has the best memory but rather from my perspective the person who has the best values .
Progress is our most important product. Midnight Tuesday ended the Mardi Gras season and began both the Lenten season and Valentine’s Day.
I stopped supporting Mardi Gras several years ago because of discrimination. Recently I was very pleased to learn that Blacks can now be members of societies and are invited to the balls held in the publicly owned Civic Center. Previously Blacks were excluded.
I was also delighted to learn the white daughter of a friend was in the court of the Black Queen in the historically Black Mardi Gras Society. I consider this to be another excellent sign of progress.
Lent is the Christian season for reflection and spiritual awareness. In my life Lent has traditionally been a very meaningful time. I look forward to this year’s experience.
I hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day.
This and That
— I was deeply disturbed by the recent claims by two “Christian” pastors. Rick Joyner is encouraging an actual civil war using veterans and militia if Trump is not elected. Andrew Womack said civil war would be worth it if it got Trump elected. My concern is not about Donald Trump, but rather as a Christian I am concerned about how far these men have strayed from the Beatitudes. Jesus did not support civil war under a Roman regime. I doubt he will support one if Trump loses.
— I do not support Putin. I fear him. Some people claim they greatly fear socialism under Democrats but the same people express support for Putin, a Communist dictator. That thinking creates cognitive dissonance for me. If someone can explain that reasoning, I will be glad to listen.
— Hoping to watch Caitlin Clark break the scoring record tonight. I am proud to be a Hawkeye. When we were in Iowa, women’s basketball was played with 3 women on offense and 3 on defense. Women’s sports have come a long way.
— I am not a big fan of Michelle Obama. However, Donald Trump Jr. showing a Pittsburg Steeler football player with the comment — “I found a rookie card of Michelle Obama” — is in my opinion childish and inappropriate.
Good News
You do not have to be a “tree-hugger” to appreciate this gift in our backyard.
Wow!!!
Customer Leaves $10,000 Tip In Memory Of Friend At Benton Harbor Cafe (sunnyskyz.com)
Good use of fame and fortune
Christian Bale Is Building 12 Homes To Keep Siblings In Foster Care Together (sunnyskyz.com)
Peace
Jerry
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