“I gradually came to realize that I was old enough to die.”
–Barbara Ehrenreich (Natural Causes)
I’m making a list of reasons why I expect to live a long time:
Given Things
Pretty good genes
No serious chronic diseases
No debilitating accidents
Good teeth
Lucky Breaks and Good Choices
Lifelong economic security (always had a job)
Good education
Loving relationships (parents, siblings, spouses, friends)
Spiritual/religious engagement
No children (by choice)
Things I Do
Exercise (variously cardio, weight-bearing, yoga) since age 25
Active weight management (in various forms) since age 17
Low-carbohydrate eating since age 55 (no sugar, no starchy foods, no “fast food”)
Thyroid medication (since age 35)
Supplements (various, including multi-vitamin, glucosamine/chondroitin, fish oil, CoQ10)
Good dental hygiene
Nevertheless, I think I’m old enough to die. What’ll it be?
RELATIVITY
Someone thought to mete out time,
how long it takes to pass.
So many drops from bowl to bowl.
So many grains through glass.
But time is merely here to there.
Sit still. Sit still and see
how time will disappear at once,
and you may simply be.
Barbara Loots (Windshift)
I wonder if I’d like to know how long I had to live.
Yes, I’ve passed my Biblical sell-by date, and I realize that if I died tonight, no one would say, “Pity she was so young.” But we’re always too young, aren’t we?
The day I was born I was old enough to die. So far so good.