Stay Cool, Stay Young
At one time life was a lot simpler.
You worked till you were 58. Got a two-year extension till 60. Then you complained for a few years about the good old days. Bought a weekly bottle of whisky with your pension. And died at around 65.
Now things have got a lot more complicated. The first and most dangerous thing is that you could easily live till 85. In fact when people pass away at 79 they are mourned because they died so young.
(Today the average age in the Lok Sabha is 60 with 50 members over the age of 75!)
So I sat down with the pretty young lady you can see in the photograph. She’s 97, my grand aunt named Obi, and is the oldest love of my life.
We sat and we tried to figure out the secrets to remaining young.
Firstly and most important we thought is that you need to stop complaining. The good old times are gone. Life is so shallow and meaningless nowadays. Look at the state of the world. These will get you nowhere, just make you older and older. Instead observe the world like you were watching a movie and try and see what makes it tick.
Of course a lot can be done by those around you. My wife put her mom onto Whatsapp. My friend has got her Grandmom a Facebook account. An old uncle of mine was presented an Amazon Echo. They will kick and scream and reject at first, but once they get used to it, it will add delight to their lives.
Another really important thing is to keep your sense of wonder. Oh wow look at that. My Goodness who could have imagined this. Keep the wonder flowing. It made the world magical for you when you were a kid and will do the same now. I think my Mom is alive mostly owing to Donald Trump. For four hours a day she sits with an amazed look on her face and watches his antics on the news.
Keep young company. Try and keep a connect with your 25 or 30-year-old grand-kids then it helps keep your mind open. Bribe them, threaten them, guilt trip them or simply cajole them but make them spend a few hours with you every week . And after that don’t only tell them stories of the good old days, listen to them also!
Don’t be cranky and sulk. In many cases 80-year-olds go back to being eight-year-olds. They throw fits and scowl all the time. No point in this. Join the conversation. Live and let live. Stay a part of life.
Don’t trash it till you understand it. There is a reason why ad films, trends, fashion and culture is drifting a certain way. It may be alien to you but there is a reason why people behave like they do.
After jotting down the stuff we were discussing I turned to Obi and found she had nodded off to sleep. I gently nudged her awake and asked her if she had anything to say.
She looked at me and asked ‘How long more do I need to live?’
Well I guess that’s it then.
