I wrote a blog about my friend, Ed, as he turned 101 back in November of 2018. Although I didn’t ask him, I speculated that he might offer up this list of guiding principles as his secret to his longevity.
Love. Share your time on earth. You don’t have to marry, but have someone to share your time, encourage your goals, listen to your thoughts, and set you straight when you veer off path.- Take care of yourself. Value your health. Avoid excess.
- Believe in something bigger than yourself. Be religious if that’s a path you choose, but in any case, make sure that you know that there is something more important than each of us, alone.
- Work. Be engaged in something that helps you find purpose. If your first choice doesn’t work out, find another. Each of us needs to have a reason to get up each morning. Make sure that you have something to look forward to doing each day.
- Hang with people younger than you at least some of the time. Share your experience. Don’t be afraid to share your failures as well as your triumphs.
- Laugh. Belly laughs are preferred.
- Belong. Be an active part of a community. It may be church, your neighbors, people at work, your school, a team, a club or your family. Each of us needs to engage with others that share a common bond.
- Play. Have fun and share your experience with others.
- Sing and dance even if you only sing in the shower and tap your foot to music while sitting in a chair. It’s good for the soul.
- Don’t keep score. If someone does you wrong, move on. Be the bigger man (or woman). You’ll waste a lot of time that you could be loving, caring, believing, working, hanging, laughing, belonging, playing, singing and dancing.
I may have borrowed the list from someone else, I don’t recall. I do believe it’s a good list.
I’ve been reading through past blogs. I posted my first in November of 2017. I’m in the process of assembling several for a book that I hope to publish this year. I met with my publisher earlier this week and we’re entering the home stretch. I can’t include them all because my six by nine soft covered book would be 1,800 pages thick. And that’s if I don’t include any pictures. You couldn’t turn a page.
While reading my posts, I’ve discovered I tend to offer advice while making my observations. But offering and following are two different things. If I was as good at following as I am at offering, my world would be much different.
When I look at my life, I think I’ve excelled at number four but may have focused on work at the expense of others on the list. Numbers two and ten are my weaknesses. Since Ruth’s passing, I’ve learned a bit more about number three. Numbers five and eight are important to me. I love being with my kids and now I have the opportunity to hang with my grandchildren. Seven is about sharing your time and I need to do more of that. Six and nine go hand in hand. Number one is most important to me. In that regard, I’ve been very lucky.
I think each of us should have a set of guiding principles. Use this one or develop your own. Perhaps THE Ten Commandments, or another set of religious tenets, work best for you. No matter how you choose to live your life, do it with purpose.