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Ninety Each And The Nexus Of Juice


(Iris Apfel: portrait from Pinterest)

Nonagenarian is the word of today's random selection (from the Latin nonageni - ninety each.) Spoken aloud (say nonna-j'n-airian) it has a lively, almost flirtatious feel. Which is how one would wish to be, in one's tenth decade of living.
My How To Be Old Wish List includes:
I will wear mostly sequined dresses and Wellington boots
I will sunbathe nude in a fragrant garden
I will swim in wild water
I will walk and meditate and, after some kindly thought to the matter, tell the blunt truth always.
More people are living longer and staying lively, it seems; this study is fairly typical: Lively Nineties Trend: reassuring for those of us who relish the idea of being old and delightfully sparky, of concentrating eccentricities and allowing Buddha-nature full bloom.
But: uh oh: there's a but!
'While the study suggests people are living better after 90, they have to make it to their 10th decade first, Christensen said. Younger elderly people have more illnesses such as obesity and diabetes, he said.'
Poor diet, lack of exercise, a lack of social connection, a feeling of not being in control of one's self or life, the inability to choose happiness: these are the impediments to pleasant ageing. None of them make for a lively time at any age, actually. Let us not take life for granted. We can't know if we will be given ninety each: we can only press what we have for every drop of juice.

[NB: Nexus noun: connecting principle or link]


http://quote-book.tumblr.com/post/5132380053


Comments

Heather Robinson said…
Gosh is this fabulous in every which way.

I have already decided that if I make it to being elderly, I am going to allow myself to be as eccentric as possible. So far, I am imagining a mix of Japanese designers and rock n'roll with a blunt white bob and combat boots.

I love your list. :)
16 April 2014 at 14:42
Suze said…
'Pleasure disappoints, possibility never.'

My dad has always said hunger is better than to be filled. I think there's room for both. :)
16 April 2014 at 16:49
Lisa Southard said…
Heather, you are a supercool nonagenarian in the making. We can hang out! :-)
Suze: I thought of you when the last line did that 'writing itself' thing: must have been your juice adventures that inspired those words! I don't think one need deny pleasure either- especially if one is properly attuned to the worth of experiences :-)
16 April 2014 at 22:43
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