In an article in last Sunday’s Parade Magazine, Dr. Mark Liponis offered 7 Habits for longer life.  He began the article by saying that a woman in France lived to be 122 and that the oldest living person in the US is believed to be 114.  Yikes!  That’s more than twice my age!  It got me thinking about whether living that long is a good thing?  Sometimes I wonder whether all of the technology and medical breakthroughs we’ve made in order to prolong life is creating more problems than it is solving.  I don’t mean to sound harsh, I’m certainly not in favor of sending anyone over a certain age out to the woodshed, not at all.  But when we are sustaining the lives of people who have no quality of life at a very high financial and emotional cost, what is the value?  How can we support the infrastructure required merely to keep these people on this side?  And, whose to say, letting them go to the other side isn’t a gift?  Just some thoughts.  I surely don’t profess to know the answers. 

At the same time, I think we often miss out on the wealth of wisdom that is available to us from our elders.  I know that I often feel too rushed to sit and listen to the stories of my older relatives and to sort out the time tested nuggets of information and experience that still apply in today’s world.  I’d like to see more multi-generational education programs, in the schools and outside, that set up a structure for young and old to co-mingle and share stories.  That would be a great way to keep the wisdom of the ages alive and to brighten a senior’s day and life.

Well, enough of my musings.  Here are Dr. Liponis’ 7 Habits for Longer Life.  May your days and years be long, healthy and enriching, however many of them you have!

1. Get enough rest
2. Eat right
3. Make friends
4. Exercise your mind and body
5. Maintain a healthy weight and trim waistline
6. Get FRESH air
7. Be grateful if you are blessed with good genes (I modified this one!)