Today is my mother’s birthday; she would be 113. She died of an aortic aneurysm that burst in her 83rd year. She smoked numerous cigarettes daily, had poor eating habits and zero cardiovascular exercise. I think she would have lived much longer under better circumstances. Her mother, my grandmother, died when she was 85 but only because she was hit in a crosswalk in Seattle by a drunk driver who ran a red light. Unlike my mother, she lived a healthy lifestyle and was full of energy which earned her the nickname Put-Put.
Since I turned 80 this past December, I’m conscious of the fact that I’ve entered a decade in which both my immediate maternal family members died. My daughter-in-law’s mother passed in her late 80s as well. It’s made me stop and consider my own future. How do genetics and lifestyle converge to determine one’s length of days on this pale blue dot in our vast Universe? Since I live a healthy lifestyle and engage in cardiovascular exercise does that mean I’m more likely to be full of energy in my mid-80s like Put-Put? Who knows how long she would have lived had she not met her fate in a crosswalk in Seattle.
I’ve never thought much about getting old, let alone leaving the planet. Two total hip replacement surgeries later I’ve had to accept that I’m not going to be “my ol’ self” again–healing fast with little or no lasting consequences. I’m now just my old self, literally: healing more slowly, realizing I will experience a few ongoing after-effects I didn’t use to have to think about. Nothing terrible, just acceptance of the passage of time and my humanity. It does not make me sad. In fact, it makes me smile. It’s like I’ve still got a lotto ticket in my pocket worth a million dreams.
Famous actors like Paul Newman, James Stewart and Frank Sinatra, comedian Joan Rivers, game show host Alex Trebek, astronaut Neil Armstrong, and Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg all died in their 80s. Fame and fortune offered no escape for these rich and famous. But others became centenarians: actors such as Bob Hope, George Burns, Kirk Douglas, Eva Marie Saint, and Olivia De Havilland. And songwriter Irvin Berlin, outrageous style legend Iris Apfel, and none other than Grandma Moses.
Being old doesn’t have to be a declaration of a shortfall. And since I’m currently taking three art classes (Charcoal, Pastels, Watercolor) I’m going with Grandma Moses. She lived to see 101. I’ve always said I’d live to at least 103. Lots of artwork to create, nature walks to take, books to read (and books to write!), quilts to sew, documentaries to watch, music to listen to and, of course, friends to enjoy and family to cherish. My life is full, my heart even fuller. Watch me soar!
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