Joyous Longevity

The A-Z Field Guide by Sieglinde Othmer

Everyone on board for living a long, joyous life? I can hear a resounding “Yes!” and I feel you all nodding in affirmation. I heard Sieglinde Othmer speak recently about her delightful book, Joyous Longevity, full of common sense tips to help people feel good about their age at any age. A German refugee, immigrant, academic, administrator, researcher, and gardener, she shares insights acquired in 80 years of living. Her book will “cheer you up, brighten your soul and hearten your resolve to thrive.” She has a suggestion for each letter of the alphabet, and I have highlighted two of them for you here.

F is for Forgiveness

“Forgiveness is not an occasional act. It is a constant attitude.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Sieglinde tells of a humiliating rejection by a rather smug dean of a medical school because of her age, her gender, and her resume. It took her years to forgive the dean–and herself. “Attention given to past events now does not change them. Stand tall. No need for torture. There is no glory in being Sisyphus with that boulder. Forgive yourself.”

W is for Wonder

“Curiosity is the lust of the mind.” Thomas Hobbes

The verb to wonder means being curious. When we ask why, when, or how, wondering is the key to growth on all levels. How are we to improve our brains, you ask? Isn’t that the question of the day as more people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at younger ages. Othmer suggests we should think new thoughts, that we should solve new problems, that we should ask questions we’ve never asked before.

Her suggestions:

1. List three things you want to know,
2. Learn to count to ten in a foreign language (not the one you learned in high school)
3. Gaze at the Milky Way (and contemplate the flight of Artemis and outer space–my addition)

There are twenty-four more nuggets of wisdom in this easy-to-read guide like G is for Gardening and H is for Hydrating, and on it goes. I’m sure you have your own ideas on joyous longevity, and I’d love to hear what they are.

Keep wondering. Keep reading. Think of the possibilities–what’s beyond the gate, what needs exploring–and send them my way. I’ll make a list!

Before “next time” I’ll attend the Western Writers of America’s Conference in St. Louis for the first time. Have my cowgirl shirt and boots ready! I’m excited to be on a panel discussing writing historical fiction. Yee-Ha!

Until next time . . .