Why Your Health is Your Future – Thoughts about Living in the Magic of the Moment

Many thanks to my old surfing mate Billy from Byron who emailed me this great little message about life and some of its many meanings (I have added a couple of my own thoughts too). It is one I hadn’t come across before so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Here’s something always worth remembering: “It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.” – Mahatma Gandhi

When you are young you never really understand that Life Is Way Too Short: As one of my old friends said to me just the other day on his turning 70, “I can’t work out how I got here so quickly!” And I thought to myself, he’s right you know.

Life is too short to let even one day be frenzied or frazzled or frittered away. Life is too short not to take time to do the things that will hold the most meaning for you.

So let yourself float like a leaf on a stream, relax with your memories and let yourself dream.

Throw out your list that’s impossibly long, and dance a few steps to a favourite song.

Turn off the news (because it is all in 3D – Death, Destruction and Disaster) and go find someone real who’ll listen and talk and affirm what you really feel.

Life is too short and flies by if you let it, so choose what you want every day – and go out and get it.

And always remember this……it takes courage to do what you want to do because other people have got a lot of plans for you so make it a practice never to be limited by what others do or don’t do.

Now, consider this: Today is the oldest you’ve ever been, yet the youngest you’ll ever be, so, enjoy this day while it lasts.

• Your kids are becoming you……but your grandchildren are perfect!

• Going out is good. Coming home is better!

• You forget names…….but it’s OK because other people forgot they even knew you!!!

• You realize you’re never going to be really good at anything…. especially golf.

• The things you used to care to do, you no longer care to do, but you really do care that you don’t care to do them anymore.

• You sleep better on a lounge chair with the TV blaring than in bed. It’s called “pre-sleep”.

• You miss the days when everything worked with just an “ON” and “OFF” switch..

• You tend to use more 4 letter words … “what?”…”when?”… ????

• Now that you can afford expensive jewellery, it’s not safe to wear it anywhere.

• You notice everything they sell in stores is “sleeveless”?!!!

• What used to be freckles are now liver spots.

• Everybody whispers.

• You have 3 sizes of clothes in your closet…. 2 of which you will never wear.

• But Old is good in some things: Old Songs, Old movies, and best of all, OLD FRIENDS!!

And most important of all: “It’s not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived.” – Helen Walton

So my two bob’s worth to go with the above, especially to anyone who is (a lot) younger than me, is don’t put things off you really want to do or accomplish for too long otherwise it will never happen; you don’t want to die wondering about what may have been.

You just don’t know how long the piece of string is that you have been given so live every day like it is your last.

Some days you will be served with a curveball and other days you will get a bouncer or something that goes straight through to the keeper (if you let it).

Always do your best and make the most of whatever is served up, good and bad.

Life is a precious gift and not something to be frittered away.

Tell someone you love them – every day.

The simple fact is……life is for living – so go for it.

Or think about it the way Nayyirah Waheed does: “And I said to my body softly, ‘I want to be your friend.’ It took a long breath and replied, ‘I’ve been waiting my whole life for this.’”

Also, take heed of what Marc Middleton said; “Ageing is not a disease that needs to be cured. It’s an opportunity that needs to be seized.”

And here is a bit more good advice from Yvonne Dowlen, 89 year old figure skater; “As you grow older, if you don’t move, you won’t move.” It is certainly hard to argue with that comment.

In fact, over the years it has become my favourite mantra – if you want to keep moving you have to keep moving.

Unfortunately, I believe Cody Sipe PhD, from the Functional Aging Institute, is correct when he says, “The decisions you make on a daily basis will predominantly dictate how well or poorly you age. The foods you eat, the activities you engage in, the medications you are prescribed, the supplements you take, the environment you live in, the risky behaviours you choose…these will determine how productive, healthy and enjoyable your future years will be.”

Ageing is real; we are all travellers so best wishes and enjoy the journey for soon it will be too late.

And another thing I have discovered in my 70+++ year journey is that almost everything we have been taught about aging is wrong. We now know that a very fit body of 70 can be the same as a moderately fit body of 30.

If you have read this far then you must have liked my story so help a friend – like and share. Thanks.

Cheers – John – your Active Ageing Mentor and Coach.

P.S. “The fact that you go to the gym even though you don’t “need” to… is why you don’t need to. Your habits create your strength.” – James Clear