Centuries ago Spanish explorers drove hard into the swamps in what is now Florida, searching for the eternal fountain of youth.
Apart from a few alligators, I am not sure what they found there. If they found the fountain of youth they have not done a great job of sharing the magic with the rest of us. We continue to get older and year by year we lose the exuberance of our youth and somewhere cross the line into old age. No one is certain when old age begins but all of us can agree about when it ends.
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Apparently the extent to which we are able to enjoy old age and continue leading active lives, even after retirement, depends on the attitudes that we bring into this stage of our lives. Those who approach old age believing that life must now slow down for them, and who in fact start to withdraw from personal and community responsibilities, are likely to find that they are able to do less with each year that passes. Exercise, both mental and physical, is essential, more so than it was when people were younger. The less that people use their minds and bodies in the active pursuit of daily commitments, the less their minds and bodies are able to respond when they are challenged.
On the other hand, those people who see old age as an opportunity to participate in activities to which they had previously been denied while they were earning money and raising children, and who continue to be active generally have fewer problems getting out of bed in the mornings.
We do run into some limits on what we are able to do as we get older. The wise person will recognize and live within those limits. But the limits are not as restrictive as people once thought. Older people can learn to do new things with the computer being a good example. Many older people who manage to quit smoking and drinking before it is too late, are able to exercise daily and strengthen seldom used muscles.
Apparently one of the tricks to successful aging is to nurture that sense of curiosity that was with us in early childhood. When we were raising our kids, and trying to keep our households well fed and warm, we were too exhausted to let our minds wonder about this and that and every other thing. But curiosity is a wonderful trait, and the more we let ourselves try to understand the nature of life around us, the more likely it is that we will approach each day with a sense of vigour that even our children will admire.
You do not have to take my word for this. I got it from Michael DeBakey, a physician who said as much days after his 95th birthday. You can read about him in a new book, The Art of Aging, by Dr. Sherwin B. Nuland.
Jacklin Andrews is a family counsellor from Saskatchewan who has taught social work at two universities. Mail correspondence in care of Western Producer, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or e-mail jandrews@producer.com.
