The Secret of Immortality!

     My kids have taught my wife and me, both recent octogenarians that it's never too late to have a helluva bash!  We were both a little reluctant and despite being in good shape were opting for a quiet family dinner in a good local restaurant for our joint 80th birthdays.  After all, getting old is easy.  All you have to do  is stick around for long enough.  
    
      In any event, it  is no use trying to resist the bullying of ones children, so  we reluctantly agreed to let the kids have their fun and go  along with  their desires as we have done for most of their lives.   My wife and I  have known each  other for most of our lives and started 'courting' (as we used to say in the old days regarding serious relationships) at about the age of eighteen..  Despite our lousy genes on both  sides of  the family, we have remained alive, remarkably active and  (I think) compos mentis.  
       Outside the 'Home Smith Jazz Bar' (yes, that really was the  name of the bar in The Old Mill!) where we all initially got together, was a sign that read:
                                  " Irene and Stan's 80th birthday,"
                  A young woman walking by said, "Hey! They must be twins!"   

      Aubie Blake, the great Jazz musician said on  reaching the age of 90, " If I knew I was going to live this long, I'd  have looked after myself  better."    We have done pretty well, my wife is starting to  look young enough to be be my daughter, and I don't look too bad myself.  Reflecting on Aubie's comments re looking after one's self better, one wonders whether that would have resulted in a significantly different outcome, or whether, short of frankly abusive habits it would make much difference at all.    Sometimes we don't know what habits are abusive until many years later.  (My parents gave me a silver cigarette case for my twenty-first birthday.  I could probably sell it as a marijuana case now.)  Dietary recommendations change frequently and drug  use is increasingly accepted despite the accepted risks.  The older I get the more I believe my parents advice of 'all things in moderation' is as close to a solution as we are likely to get.      Not that it will confer immunity against anything, but when one looks at the conflicting results of evidence based medicine research, until hard irrefutable evidence emerges it seems to be as good or better advice for good health and longevity as the recommendation of the month.
       So, at the advanced age of eighty and without any scientific basis whatsoever, here is my subjective advice  for immortality - and you can't prove it wrong - just yet!
        Passion.  Live with a passion.  Far from living each day as though it's your last,  live each day as though you are immortal. If you are going to be here forever, things matter!
        Persistence.   Churchill has said everything, but when he said, 'never, never, never give up'  he was giving advice that few today remember, care about or follow.    Very important advice if one intends to live forever.
         Partners.  Persisting in perpetuity requires the right partners.  The right spouse is absolutely necessary to keep one mentally and physically intact.  Day to day survival requires constant mental agility, liberal doses of humour and  the ability to laugh at oneself and each other, as well as physical agility in getting out of the way in a hurry, on occasion.   Remember, your children are not partners, they are your children, even though you have to be a little more subtle in disciplining them when  they are over fifty. 
         Perpetual motion.  You have to keep  moving, preferable with some sense of purpose.  Inactivity, even for short periods can be dangerous or possibly lethal.
          Personal contacts.  Love and frequent contact with loved one's is an essential ingredient.  While social networking is better than nothing, it is no substitute for direct contact.  Eye contact, a hug and a kiss cannot be transmitted over the internet.  Unfortunately, fewer and fewer people  realize this.  Nothing is more rewarding than time spent with the 'kids', relatives and friends.
          Pens.  Collecting fountain pens and other writing implements maintain awareness of the great heights that humans achieved when they could connect the brain with the fingers and have ideas flow freely onto paper, where they were captured in a pleasing and artistic form.   This helped to develop the brain - fingers interface rather than the dumbing down  effect of the keyboard,which leads to neuronal atrophy.
           Phamily. and phriends.  Nothing is more important   Without them one wouldn't need immortality!   From our kids to our brothers and sisters (we don't recognize "in-laws" in our family, we are all truly brothers and sisters, but that's a whole story in itself ), nephews and nieces, grandnieces and grand nephews they are all a fantastic crew.
           I have also found (and this is personal and may not apply to everyone, in much the same way as any  other medication may not be suitable for all), that fairly liberal but not excessive, doses of a fine Scotch (not generic) on a regular basis, works wonders and may indeed actually be the elixir of life!  I'm still working on  it.
            Our recent fabulous party thrown by our kids, ensconced us in Toronto's finest hotel in almost obscene luxury, surrounded us with relatives and friends old and young, from far and near for a weekend of re-union, fun and love.  It was all so wonderful that Irene and I have decided to stick  around for ever!   I don't know how our kids are going to top this for our 90th, which is only 9 years and 11 months away!
             We are eternally grateful to our fantastic kids for the extraordinary lengths they went to for us and thank them for rejuvenating us.