HEART OF STEELE
Since turning 65 this year, I’ve really started to pay attention to age.
Not mine. Everyone else’s.
I am completely boggled by the number of people in their 70s and 80s and beyond who are still active, still participating in their communities, still working.
A friend in her 70s recently took a job in retail sales. She works 40 hours a week, on her feet, handing out samples to customers. When she told me about the job, she didn’t complain about the work. She told me how much she enjoyed talking with her co-workers.
People like Mike Pierce and Sharon West, who both passed this year, were making Owatonna a better place to live right up until the end. I wrote this year about Owatonna Foundation honoree Carol Nelson, who is still inventing and serving the community in his 90s.
And consider this: In the last Minnesota census, the number of centenarians had climbed by 25%.
I love writing about people of a certain age who are still living their best lives. Not surprisingly, I find myself quite interested in how these folks are all aging so well.
Many follow the typical bits of advice we get from our doctors: Eat better, move more, keep up your social life, get your vaccines. In her recent New York Times best-selling book, Forever Strong: A New, Science-Based Strategy for Aging Well, Dr. Gabrielle Lyon talks about the importance of building muscle–which we often lose as part of the aging process.
People do all those things and more, though, and still end up with a debilitating disease or a condition that limits their mobility or decimates their memory. At times, aging seems like a random process, a slow ride until you hit a patch of ice and all of a sudden, you’re sitting in a ditch, wondering what the heck just happened.
What I’ve learned from those who appear to be aging well is how important it is to live well at any age. Every active, engaging elder I’ve ever met had a gleam in their eye and a zest for life in their heart.
That’s what I’m aiming for in 2024. That, and another year of health and happiness. I wish the same for you.