Those who live to over one-hundred-years-old could meet their grandchildren, and great grandchildren, or even great great grandchildren, and play an active part in their upbringing.
It has been statistically proven that married people generally outlive single folk which might very well be because the connection factor outweighs being alone, having no friends, and consequently boredom. One reason my ninety-five-year-old mother has anything to live for is that my three brothers and I maintain regular contact whilst facilitating her existence. She really doesn’t want to be bound to an old age residence i.e., people’s home.
However, my mother is frail, but she tries her best to do the chores around the house and daily formed habits she enjoys to maintain her sanity. The problem is she often doesn’t have enough energy to make the effort to cook properly, and therefore eats readymade meals she buys online. I’ve argued with her about the nutritional element, but she swears she can’t be bothered to prepare fresh ingredients and cook.
She turned ninety-five last Saturday which shows her will to live though the desire could be slowly dwindling. We speak regularly. Often, she needs encouragement to keep going, but then I suppose it’s a talking point for her as to why she’s still kicking on without her spouse and the fact all her friends have long gone. I love her to bits, but living on the other side of the world means I cannot just get up and go every week. It’s a shame, as it would be nice to be around more frequently.
There are many factors to living to a ripe old age. Balance and avoiding exaggeration in food and beverage consumption must be important, as eating healthy vegetables and the right balance of nutrients, protein and fats. Exercise is likely to be part of the longevity process, to help keep the body flexible and in good health whilst making sure bodily fluids are distributed evenly. No one has discovered how to live forever. Nature wouldn’t allow it as everything must change; nothing stays the same.
She says her exercise is going up and down the stairs several times a day. She also spends at least thirty minutes stretching and doing bed exercises every morning before getting up. She eats three well balanced meals a day. As well she sleeps around ten hours a day!
Take care!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Upbringing (n) = education, childhood, background, rearing, nurture, past
Outweighs (v) = overshadows, offsets, compensates, balances, dwarfs, be more important than, prevail over, be greater than
Frail (adj) = weak, fragile, delicate, feeble, in poor health, (ant) robust
Chores (n) = errands, tasks, responsibilities, everyday jobs, household tasks, odd jobs
Dwindling (adj) = declining, decreasing, diminishing, deteriorating, falling
Kicking on (phrasal verb) = Continue to play or perform well. “Maybe she'll kick on in the sport” Or “The local veteran athlete has kicked on from his success at the Rainbow Masters Games.”
Ripe (adj) = has several meanings though in the above article it is mature, grown, full-grown, seasoned, developed, ripened, ready, (ant) unripe. It can also mean suitable, prepared, apt, pungent, strong, sour, off, smelly, (ant) sweet
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