Why is that some people are old at 30 while some 90 year old men and women are vibrant, full of energy and a joy to be around? That is the eternal question. What is the secret to healthy aging? Is there a secret?
I belong to a garden club and one of the members is 86 years old. She has a large, beautiful garden that backs onto a ravine and she still does all her own gardening. Up and down a couple of hundred stairs to the back of her property and the ravine. Her house has been on the local garden tour a couple of times and many people half her age have been reluctant to venture down the stairs, for fear they will not make it up.
Tall, stately, with long flowing grey hair Mary is also a artist, and still continues to produce beautiful paintings. Although Mary has started to slow down in the last year, she still continues to garden and paint and has no plans of stopping any time soon.
Many members of my garden club, myself included, are in awe of Mary. How does she do it? What keeps her going?
Explorers have been searching for The Fountain of Youth since before Ponce de Leon. Perhaps the problem is that they are looking in the wrong place. They are looking for an external elixir that can cure all when the solution is within our reach.
Each of us has the power to improve the quality of our lives. Some things we cannot change, but a surprisingly large number of things we can.
My search for the secret of healthy aging begins. Will you join me?
Susan Wallis
