by Jackie Houchin

#Bloganuary is a month of blog prompts/questons that WordPress uses to get us bloggers off to a good start in the new year.

Day 8.  “What are your thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?”

A long life? Do you mean 90, 100, 110 years? Or like in Genesis 5, in Biblcal times, when Adam lived 930 years and Methuselah lived 969 years. He was the oldest recorded guy, and he died in the year of (or in) the Great Flood of Noah’s time.

What must it have been like to see your progeny for 9, 10, 11, generations? Family reunions must have been crazy HUGE! I’d hate to pay that catering bill!

My thoughts —

I’m in pretty good health right now at age 78 and I would hope to live at least 10 more years. But my mom lived until 94 and suffered from dementia from her mid 80’s. I wouldn’t like that at all. Oh, LORD, keep me from going bonkers!

OLD age, for the sake of the great number of years, doesn’t mean much. It’s about being active and cognizant and healthy. And being useful and enjoying life. Who wants to live in a vegitative state, tucked away in an old people’s home and forgotten?  I hope not ME!

Eat rice and fish and not too much. Eat till you are 80% full. Fast often, walk many miles. Be nice to everyone.  Don’t stress out.  These seem to be the keys to longevity in our days.  Are we willing to do all that, faithfully?

God alone knows the number of my days (as well as the hairs on my head which are getting pretty sparse these days). I’ll let Him decide when to snatch me away or lay me down. 

Or… this funny famous poem, written in 1932…….

“Warning” by Jenny Joseph

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple,
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves,
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.

I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired,
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.

 Continue reading this poem and get more info about the poet at THE SCOTTISH POETRY LIBRARY. 

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