“Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.”
You hear this a lot around birthdays. When people bemoan turning a year older, someone always says “It beats the alternative” – the “dying young” part being implied.
I come from good hearty stock. My paternal grandmother lived to 102, my Dad made it to 87 and my Mom just celebrated her 97th birthday on Christmas Eve. My plan has always been to hit 100 – of course this sends shivers of dread down the backbones of my financial advisors! They better be doing a really good job, right?
We’re all living longer, modern medicine and our health knowledge has made sure of this. Yet I also believe the emotional part of living has a huge impact on not only our longevity, but our desire to see it so.
I’m not a medical doctor, but I go out on a limb to say that I believe that happy people live longer. And while there will always be things unforeseen that take lives too early, like car accidents, etc. – we are hanging around this planet longer than ever before.
I dreaded turning 30, enjoyed turning 40, loved turning 50 and hit the ground running when I turned 60 a couple of years back. I’ve learned a lot and hope to keep that learning pattern going.
Hope you’ll join me along this wild ride and let’s make those financial advisors and our children worry about how long we’ll be around to keep them on their toes!
suddenlysinglewomen 