Aging

“If a previously unidentified virus was found to diminish life expectancy by over seven years, considerable effort would probably be devoted to identifying the cause and implementing a remedy. In the present case, one of the likely causes is known: societally-sanctioned denigration of the aged.” - Dr. Becca Levy

For those of you who know something about Dan Buettner’s “Blue Zones” (by the way, he’s teaching at MEA Baja next year…here’s the link), you know five places in the world hold the record for the greatest concentration of longevity amongst their residents. One of those places is the island of Sardinia off the coast of Italy.

As I turn 85 today, I recognize that many friends and acquaintances have passed away. It’s not easy, but you get used to these losses at this age.

I love when men and women let their hair go gray, as chronicled by one of our MEA alums in this past post.

"American exceptionalism" is baked into our public schools, cultural institutions, and—definitely in an election year—the political jargon we hear from those running for office. But, sometimes, you have to look at the underlying data and demographics to understand whether this exceptionalism is positive or negative.

My Mother died this past May. She was 100 & quite sharp till the end. Thanks to her example, I’m 62 and living my best life yet.

I was hanging out at our place with our shaman Saul tonight, and we were a little tipsy. He’d smoked a joint or two. I’d drunk a couple of glasses of Albarino wine that our wellness wunderkind Jonathan Joshua had brought to MEA Baja from South Africa.

TV jumped on the bandwagon a few years ago with a variety of compelling shows featuring aging as an opportunity, not an obstacle. “Grace & Frankie,” “The Kominsky Method,” “Hacks,” and “Only Murder in the Building” have all solidified that there’s a market for a pro-aging narrative.

Many of us say, “I feel like I’m 30 years old,” and then wince as we catch a glimpse of ourselves in the mirror. Ouch, who is that old-timer?!!

I recently ran across this BBC article: “Can You Delay Aging By Refusing To Act Your Age?” Need I tell you how much I hated the title? What does it mean to act one’s age, anyway?! That said, I loved the content of the piece, which offered two more studies that reinforce Yale’s Becca Levy’s research which shows that changing your mindset on aging can provide you with a longer and better life.