Grandpa… tell me ‘bout the good old days
I didn’t know my grandfather on my Dad’s side very well, as we lived on opposite sides of the ocean. In my earlier years, he and my grandmother would come to Canada nearly every summer for a lengthy visit and, even though they are long gone and it has been many decades since their last visit, there are a few memories.
To my knowledge, my grandfather kept it simple. He enjoyed his daily (and lengthy) walks, he watched very lit-
tle television, and he chewed each mouthful of food well over 50 times. It’s remarkable the things you remember about someone nearly 40 years later. He survived two world wars and lived deep into his 80s. I didn’t know much of him, but the little I knew, would serve me well to emulate.
I have had many octogenarian and nonagenarian patients in my office over the years I have been in practice, and truthfully this demographic provides me with the most satisfaction and from which I learn the most. In business it is advised that you surround yourself with successful people — to be the best you need to learn from the best. If you want to live a long life, maybe you should learn how from those who have achieved this feat.
We are told that life expectancy has increased due to advances in modern medicine, yet all these 80-plus-year-
olds spent the majority of their years before this technology even existed. For most of their years, they lived with cleaner air than what we have now, far fewer preservatives in foods than what exists today and with zero technology…no internet, no smart phones or social media. On the contrary, these are all the things the millennials all have; the generation that some predict may be the first to not live as long as their parents.
This is the time of the year I become nostalgic for the good old days. The thing is, the good old days existed before I was even born.
We are nearing the time when Father Time hands over the calendar to Baby New Year. Respect your elder, young one, and hang on for a few seconds to learn a few things that may serve you well into the future.
Have a happy and healthy New Year.