Navigating through the Years

 I recently heard an apt description of living life as a Senior person. Navigating through the years. An appropriate analogy.

 When Jesus was crucified at age 33, He was considered an old man. At the beginning of the 20th century, mortality was approximately 45. When Social Security was established in 1937, the age it was to begin was 65. Our government didn’t expect people to live much longer than that. How foolish.

 Today there are 150,000 citizens living in the U.S. over 100 years of age. The mortality age for men is close to 88 and for women it’s 90. No wonder Social Security is going bankrupt.

 We are an anomaly. To change the analogy, we are blazing new trails. A simple illustration will suffice-Alzheimer. It is a relatively recent invasion into Senior culture.

 As the Captain of our boat, what should we expect as we NAVIGATE down or up this waterway called the Senior life?

 Whatever comes our way we should adopt the philosophy of Epictetus who lived 100 years before Jesus. He said, “While we have no control over the things that happen to us, we have ABSOLUTE control over how we react to those things.”

 Back to my analogy. Whether it be the great Mississippi, the Ohio, the Amazon, the Nile, the Yukon or the Missouri rivers, they all constantly change. The Captains or Pilots MUST expect and adapt to the changes.

 It is reported that Adam said to Eve as they left the Garden of Eden, “We’re living in a time of transition.”

 So are Seniors.  Rocks, sandbars, debris of all kinds affect the journey. They are represented of our health, our income, our family, our relationships, our social activities, our marriages, our religious beliefs, our relatives, our political beliefs, society values our appetites, our sex drive, our goals. They all are in a constant state of flux.

 Navigation through these variables demands flexibility and acceptance of shifting changes for Seniors.

 There is no room for rigidity of thought, bigotry, racism or prejudice. The changing times and rushing waters demands navigational flexibility.

 As with the Captain of a riverboat, Seniors must be alert to impediments. No dullness of mind or a coach potatoe attitude. James Baldwin, the famous black novelist said it best, “The challenge of living is to be present in everything we do;  “from getting up in the morning to going to bed at night.”

 The navigational log for Seniors includes the following lines for optimal living.

  1. WE NEED SOMEONE TO LOVE.  This is what keeps Seniors resilient in an uncertain future. Rod McKuen, the noted poet, has written, “There is no harm in not being loved, only in not loving.” Growing older demands it.

 A person, a cause, an animal or God or grandchildren. An emotional attachment stimulates longevity.

 2.  WE NEED SOMETHING TO DO. Succumbing to laziness, do-nothing, lethargy are the eternal enemies of aging. Vigilance must be the watchword for Seniors to our dying moment-and even then.

 Michelangelo said it was only well with him when he had a chisel in his hand.

 To maintain a healthy attitude, agile mind and physical well being: read a book, go for a walk, plant a garden, do a crossword, knit, bake a cake, have lunch with a friend, volunteer, be active, PERIOD.

 William James, the greatest of American psychologists said, “Act the way you want to feel and pretty soon you’ll be feeling the way you’re acting.

 3.  WE NEED SOMETHING TO LOOK FORARD TO.  How long do you want to live? Read Genesis 6:3. It says man’s allotted years are 120. The Psalmist said 3 score and 10 after a bad night with Bathsheba-I’ll take Genesis.

 Plan something for tomorrow, next week, next month, next year. And beyond. If you don’t make it, so what. It’s better to plan ahead than not to have planned at all.

 4.  WE NEED SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN. Everyone, especially Seniors, need a belief system. Religion, country, family or oneself.

 Remember Rose Kennedy? She lived to be 105. I heard her interviewed a few years ago. He reminded her of her life’s troubles. A mentally ill daughter, one son died in a plane crash and two sons were shot, an unfaithful husband. “How have you survived,” he asked. She stood and with fire in her eyes, said, “I refuse to be vanquished.” By the way, she attended Mass everyday.

 A belief provides a focus for living and a direction. It adds years to our living.

 

 

WORDS TO THINK ABOUT

G. W. Abersold Ph.D.