Living Life Robustly

I got a lot of comments about last week’s column.  Most people were a bit amazed that a man of my age was still doing things like that—riding a mountain bike down steep hills over rocks and roots and traveling around the country doing things outside my comfort zone.  Others just thought I was crazy. 

The first group shouldn’t have been amazed—there were 10 year old kids passing me down the gnarliest hills. And lots of people travel a lot more than I do. The second group…maybe you’re right.  Ask my wife.

So how did I get to this point in life?  To a point where I still pursue a life of vigor and adventure?  I have no idea.  I’ve talked about my dad’s heart problems but I don’t think that is it.  I know that I watched my friend Bo Henry turn his health around at 65, deciding to defy those birthdays and past health problems and live life to its fullest.  He’s almost 90 now and still pretty darn vigorous. 

I look around at people my age and a lot of them are already old.  They act old.  Their pursuits are passive.  Too many friends have those zipper lines on their chest where they’ve had their heart fixed.  I’ve got too many friends that look like they’re just waiting for the end.  Biding their time.

That sure ain’t me.  I get up every morning and make conscious decisions about what I’m going to do that day to remain healthy and able to continue a robust life. 

We know that to keep our mind sharp, we’ve got to continue to keep working it, keep learning new things.  Read books that make us think.   I still want to learn to speak Spanish.  Or French.  I can’t decide. 

I want to paint more, to put colors and meaning on a piece of canvas.  I’ve played several instruments in my life so I might do that again.  Why?  Because I can.  And we know that pursuing those things that stimulate us, that make us live vibrantly, keep us younger. 

Too many people get to a certain age and decide that it is time to slow down.  I call it “rocking chair time.”  That’s not for me.

 I’ve been accused of doing things that a “man my age” has no business doing.  Who made that rule?  Who said that when we get to a certain age, that there were certain activities that are off-limits?  That we have to retire from our job at a certain age?

The President of the United States is 72 years old.  One of the guys I ride bikes with is 68 and winning national championships.  Caroline Haynes is a world class tennis player at 81.

On the other end of the spectrum, two young physical therapists came to me several years ago asking for advice about leadership opportunities in our profession.  They had already been told that they were too young.  Well, those two young PT’s, Josh D’Angelo and Efosa Guobadia didn’t accept that. 

First, they started a campaign called PT Day of Service that quickly went global.  And then they opened a physical therapy clinic in Guatemala and are close to opening another in Rwanda. They are indeed changing the world.

My message?  Don’t let age determine anything.  You’re never too young nor too old.  For me, Medicare-eligible does not mean rocking chair-eligible.  I’m not really trying to prove anything, I’m just trying to live life to its fullest.